The  . 

NewCentury 

Bible 


Rom 


ans 


*     MAR  20  1906      *] 


kc:QM.  SE«#^ 


Division     i 
Section 


The  following  thirteen  volumes^  comprising  the  zvhole 
New  Testament,  have  already  been  arranged  for. 

1.  MATTHEW,  by  Prof.  W.  F.  Slater,  M.A. 

2.  MARK,  by  Principal  Salmond,  D.D. 

3.  LUKE,  by  Prof.  W.  F.  Adeney,  M.A. 

4.  JOHN,  by  the  Rev.  J.  A.  McClymont,  D.D. 

5.  ACTS,  by  Prof.  J.  Vernon  Bartlet,  M.A. 

6.  ROMANS,  by  the  Rev.  A.  E.  Garvie,  M.A.,  B.D. 

7.  I  AND  II  CORINTHIANS,  by  Prof.  J.  Massie,  M.A. 

8.  PHILIPPIANS,  EPHESIANS,  COLOSSIANS,  PHIL- 

EMON, by  the  Rev.  G.  Currie  Martin,  M.A.,  B.D. 

9.  I  AND  II  THESSALONIANS,  GALATIANS,  by  Prof. 

W.  F.  Adeney,  M.A. 

10.  THE   PASTORAL    EPISTLES,    by   the   Rev.    R.  F. 

Horton,  M.A.,  D.D. 

11.  HEBREWS,  by  Prof.  A.  S.  Peake,  M.A. 

12.  THE  GENERAL  EPISTLES,  by  Prof.W.  H.  Bennett, 

M.A. 

13.  REVELATION,  by  the   Rev.  C.  Anderson    Scott, 

M.A. 


THE    NEW-CENTURY   BIBLE 

ROMANS 


General  Editor  :  Prof.  W.  F.  Adeney 


(Rotnana 


INTRODUCTION 

AUTHORIZED  VERSION 

REVISED   VERSION    WITH    NOTES 

INDEX  AND   MAP 


>^         EDITED   BY 

ALFRED  E.  GARVIE,M.A.(Oxon),B.D.(Glas.) 

AUTHOR    OF    'the    ETHICS   OF  TFMPF.RANCE  * 
AND  '  THE  KITSCHLIAN   THEOLOGY  ' 


NEW  YORK:  HENRY  FROWDE 

OXFORD    UNIVERSITY    PRESS,    AMERICAN   BRANCH 

EDINBURGH  :  T.  C.  &  E.  C.  JACK 


The  Revised  Version  is  _printed  by  permissio7i  of  the 
Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge. 


PREFATORY   NOTE 

While  a  number  of  commentaries  on  Romans  have 
been  consulted  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume, 
the  writer  desires  especially  to  acknowledge  his  in- 
debtedness to  the  International  Critical  Commentary 
by  Sanday  and  Headlam,  which  he  has  found  of  excep- 
tional value  in  its  references  to  contemporary  Jewish 
thought  and  literature,  its  quotations  from  monumental 
inscriptions,  and  its  discussion  of  the  meaning  of 
words.  As  the  text  of  the  Revised  Version  has  been 
assumed  as  the  basis  of  the  commentary,  only  variant 
readings  or  renderings  of  very  great  interest  or  impor- 
tance have  been  discussed.  The  aim  throughout 
has  been  to  render  the  thought  of  Paul  not  only 
intelligible  but  'worthy  of  all  acceptation'  even  by 
minds  that  have  been  influenced  by  modern  intellectual 
tendencies. 


THE  EPISTLE  OF  PAUL  THE  APOSTLE 

TO    THE 

ROMANS 

INTRODUCTION 

I.  The  Apostle  Paul. 

I.  There  are  three  factors  in  Paul's  personal  develop- 
ment up  to  the  time  of  his  conversion  to  which,  according 
to  his  own  testimony,  importance  must  be  assigned.  First 
of  all,  he  was  a  Jew  by  race,  a  Hebrew  in  his  speech  (using 
Aramaic  and  not  Greek  only,  as  many  of  the  Jews  living 
abroad  did),  a  Pharisee  in  religion.  From  youth  brought 
up  in  Jerusalem  in  the  school  of  Gamaliel,  he  was  zealous 
for  the  law  of  Moses,  the  customs  and  ordinances  of 
Judaism,  eager  in  his  pursuit  of  the  righteousness  which 
was  regarded  as  the  condition  of  gaining  the  favour  of  God 
and  a  share  in  the  blessings  of  the  Messianic  kingdom, 
and  thoroughly  taught  and  trained  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  Old  Testament  as  understood  by  the  scribes,  whose 
conception  of  the  authority  of  the  Scriptures  he  maintained, 
and  whose  methods  of  interpretation  he  practised,  even 
after  he  became  a  Christian  apostle.  Secondly,  he  was 
also  a  Roman  citizen,  freeborn,  and  of  this  fact  he  was 
proud ;  and  although  the  wider  outlook  over  mankind 
which  Roman  citizenship  offered  was  probably  in  his 
Pharisaic  days  never  consciously  assumed,  yet  when  the 
limitations  of  Pharisaism  had  once  for  all  been  transcended, 
his  ideas  both  as  regards  the  range  and  the  method  of  his 

B    2 


4  ROMANS 

ministry  were  more  or  less  consciously  influenced  by  this 
fact.  Thirdly,  he  was  born  in  a  city,  Tarsus,  which  with 
Alexandria  and  Athens  held  the  foremost  place  in  the 
Roman  Empire  as  a  centre  of  Greek  culture.  We  have 
no  reason  to  believe  that  either  during  his  youth  in  Tarsus, 
or  afterwards  in  the  school  of  Gamaliel,  he  was  in  any  way 
encouraged  to  study  classical  literature  ;  probably  it  was 
carefully  avoided  by  him.  His  three  quotations  from  Greek 
authors  do  not  prove  any  familiarity  with  it,  as  these  may 
have  found  their  way  into  the  common  speech.  No 
knowledge  nor  understanding  of  Greek  philosophy  needs 
anywhere  to  be  assumed  in  explanation  of  his  writings  ; 
for  Greek  wisdom  even  he  expresses  his  contempt.  Yet 
his  birth  in  Tarsus  was  not  without  significance.  He  spoke 
Greek  as  wdl  as  Aramaic,  and  probably  used  the  Greek 
version  of  the  Old  Testament  as  much  at  least  as,  if  not 
more  than,  the  Hebrew  original.  To  his  environment  he 
doubtless  owed  some  of  the  intellectual  breadth  which 
he  displayed.  His  birth  in  a  Greek  city  and  his  Roman 
citizenship  were  a  preparation  for  his  vocation  as  Apostle 
of  the  Gentiles,  a  work  for  which  a  Palestinian  Jew  would 
not  have  been  nearly  so  well  adapted. 

2.  None  of  these  things,  however,  made  Paul  the 
Christian  apostle.  This  was  manifestly,  as  he  himself 
confessed,  God's  own  work.  His  Pharisaism  did  not  bring 
him  contentment.  He  might  be  outwardly  blameless  in 
conduct,  but  he  knew  himself  under  the  power  of  sin,  and 
unable  to  keep  perfectly  the  law  of  God.  Yet  he  knew 
no  other  way  of  gaining  God's  favour,  and  so  finding 
peace  in  the  present  and  hope  for  the  future.  He  threw 
himself  into  the  persecution  of  the  Christian  blasphemers, 
as  from  his  standpoint  they  appeared  to  be,  both  that  he 
might  escape  from  an  uneasy  conscience  in  some  form  of 
activit)'-,  and  that  he  might  secure  merit  for  himself  by  his 
zeal,  which  he  hoped  might  be  reckoned  as  a  compensation 
for  his  failure  to  keep  the  law  perfectly.  Possibly  the 
heroism  of  the  Christians  under  persecution  made  him 


INTRODUCTION  5 

sometimes  ask  himself,  if  they  might  not  after  all  have 
found  out  the  secret  of  a  good  conscience  for  which  he 
was  seeking.  But  if  so,  he  stifled  his  scruples.  It  was 
impossible  that  one  who  had  suffered  the  accursed  death  of 
the  cross  could  be  the  Messiah.  He  was  not  predisposed 
to  believe,  but  rather  altogether  opposed  to  any  faith  in 
the  Resurrection,  when  Christ  appeared  to  him  on  the 
way  to  Damascus.  The  nature  of  that  appearance,  and 
the  relation  to  one  another  of  the  accounts  given  of  it, 
cannot  here  be  discussed.  But  this  is  certain,  that  Paul 
distinguished  this  sight  of  Christ  from  the  ecstatic  visions 
which  were  his  at  other  times,  that  he  claimed  that  he 
had  seen  Christ  even  as  the  other  witnesses  for  the 
Resurrection,  and  that  he  described  his  conversion  as 
an  abortion,  an  unratural  and  violent  change,  due  to 
a  revelation  of  God's  Son  in  him.  We  have  no  right 
to  assume  on  the  one  hand  that  Paul  could  have  been 
converted  by  any  purely  subjective  process,  or  to  assert 
on  the  other  hand,  in  view  of  what  Paul  became  to  the 
Christian  Church,  that  the  means  employed  were  dispro- 
portionate to  the  end  attained. 

3.  For  Paul  his  conversion  meant,  although  only  in 
reflection  after  the  event  he  may  have  come  to  realize  all 
that  it  meant,  that  Christ  was  risen,  that  his  resurrection 
proved  his  Messiahship,  that  his  Messiahship  involved 
the  significance  and  value  of  his  death  as  a  propitiation 
for  sins,  a  reconciliation  of  man  and  God,  a  redemption 
from  all  the  evils  of  life,  and  especially  the  curse  of  death. 
This  salvation  in  Christ,  as  securing  for  every  man  what 
the  law  could  not  offer  him,  and  effecting  in  him  what  the 
law  could  not  accomplish,  superseded  the  law.  As  by 
faith  in  Christ  a  man  was  so  closely  united  with  him  as 
to  share  one  life  in  the  Spirit  with  him,  the  law  was  no 
longer  necessary,  and  it  had  already  proved  its  insufficiency 
as  a  means  of  securing  holy  living.  The  most  distinctive 
characteristic  and  privilege  of  Judaism  having  been  thus 
abolished,   the    barrier    between    Jew   and    Gentile    fell 


6  ROMANS 

necessarily,  as  the  Gentile  not  only  needed  the  salvation 
offered  in  Christ  as  much  as  the  Jew,  but  was  also  equally 
capable  of  exercising  the  faith  that  secured  it.  On  this 
conviction  rested  Paul's  consciousness  of  his  vocation  as 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  although  how  soon  he  became 
quite  clear  in  his  own  mind  what  his  life-work  was  to  be 
we  cannot  say.  Probably,  as  his  after-practice  showed,  he 
hoped  to  combine  a  ministry  among  his  fellow  countrymen, 
to  which  his  ardent  patriotism  drew  him,  with  a  ministry 
among  the  Gentiles,  to  which  his  distinctive  conception  of 
the  universality  of  the  gospel  pointed  ;  but  the  antagonism 
between  Jew  and  Gentile  was  such  that  he  had  to  make 
his  choice ;  and  he  chose,  clearly  under  the  conviction 
that  for  a  time  at  least  the  Jewish  nation  was  hardened, 
and  that  the  door  of  faith  had  been  opened  for  the  Gentiles, 
whose  ingathering  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  he  kept 
cherishing  the  hope,  would  at  last  arouse  his  own  country- 
men to  claim  the  same  blessings.  The  distinction  between 
Paul  and  the  other  apostles  may  be  held  to  be  as  follows. 
They  reluctantly  admitted  the  truth  that  the  gospel  was 
for  the  Gentiles  as  well  as  the  Jews  only  under  the 
compulsion  of  facts,  when  the  Gentiles  had  believed  and 
received  the  Holy  Spirit.  His  own  experience  of  Christ 
as  the  end  of  the  law  involved  the  principle  of  the 
universality  of  the  Christian  salvation,  and  so  not  only 
justified,  but  even  necessitated,  his  practice  of  preaching 
to  the  Gentiles.  In  the  same  way  the  radical  change  that 
his  own  conversion  involved  explains  his  attitude  regarding 
the  freedom  of  the  Gentiles  from  the  Jewish  law.  The 
other  apostles  grudgingly  admitted  Gentile  emancipation, 
probably  as  a  practical  necessity,  if  the  Gentiles  were  to 
be  won  for  the  gospel  at  all.  With  him  it  was  not 
a  question  of  expediency  at  all ;  Christ's  salvation  was 
from  the  yoke  and  burden  of  the  law  as  well  as  the  fetter 
and  curse  of  sin,  and  it  freed  the  Jew  just  as  much  as  the 
Gentile,  although  it  might  be  expedient  for  the  Jew  not 
to  change  his  manner  of  life,  but  to  abide  in  that  state 


INTRODUCTION  7 

wherein  he  was  called.  For  the  other  apostles  expediency 
\ustified  rather  than  principle  necessitated  the  freedom 
of  the  Gentile  from  the  law.  For  Paul  expediency  might 
justify,  but  principle  did  not  necessitate,  the  Jew's  continued 
observance  of  the  law.  In  looking  back  on  his  conversion, 
Paul  conceived  both  his  call  to  be  the  Apostle  of  the 
Gentiles,  and  his  distinctive  gospel  of  salvation  in  Christ 
through  faith  apart  from  works,  as  already  given  in  his 
conversion.  That  they  were  both  essentially  implied  there 
can  be  no  doubt ;  but  that  they  were  explicitly  present  to 
his  consciousness  it  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  assume,  even 
to  justify  the  account  he  himself  gives  of  his  conversion. 
It  is  probable,  however,  that  before  he  entered  on  his 
public  ministry  reflection  had  given  more  or  less  distinct- 
ness to  all  these  elements  in  his  experience. 

4.  While  the  guidance  of  providential  circumstances 
must  not  be  denied,  yet  Paul's  characteristic  religious 
genius  seems  to  forbid  the  assumption  often  made  that 
Paul  began  with  the  theology  common  in  the  church, 
and  that  only  gradually  in  controversy  did  he  develop  for 
his  own  mind  even  his  distinctive  gospel.  It  may  on  the 
contrary  be  said  with  some  confidence  that  had  Paul  not 
had  a  distinctive  gospel  from  the  beginning  he  would 
neither  have  become  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  nor  have 
provoked  any  controversy  with  the  Judaizers.  Doubtless 
his  polemic  with  those  who  affirmed  that  the  Gentiles 
to  be  saved  must  observe  the  law  of  Moses  and  be 
circumcised  suggested  to  him  illustrations  and  arguments 
for  the  exposition  of  his  principles,  but  certainly  it  did 
not  give  him  these  principles.  The  theology  of  Galatians, 
although  the  exposition  is  controversial  in  tone  and 
method,  is  not  the  offspring  of  religious  strife,  but  brings 
to  the  birth  that  wherewith  Paul's  obedience  to  the 
heavenly  vision  was  pregnant.  The  theology  of  Romans 
too  has  its  roots  in  Paul's  own  soul.  Its  doctrine  of 
justification  shews  how  Christ's  death,  seen  in  the  new 
clear    light    of   his    resurrection,   brought    to    Paul    the 


8  ROMANS 

assurance  that  God  Himself  had  atoned  for  his  guilt ;  and 
so  met  his  desire  to  be  reckoned  righteous  before  God. 
Its  doctrine  of  sanctification  simply  describes  the  process 
of  Paul's  own  deliverance  from  the  power  of  sin,  and 
entrance  into  the  new  life  of  holiness  unto  God.  Neither 
the  one  doctrine  nor  the  other  is  to  be  regarded  as  more 
distinctively  or  essentially  Pauline.  For  Paul  two  pro- 
blems were  solved  by  faith  in  Christ — how  can  the  guilty 
be  forgiven?  and  how  can  the  sinful  be  made  holy? 
Christ's  death  for  sin  offered  the  solution  of  the  one  pro- 
blem, and  Christ's  life  in  the  believer  of  the  other.  In 
comparison  with  these  two  problems,  which  Paul's  own 
experience  forced  on  him,  the  third  problem  with  which 
he  deals  in  Romans,  the  problem  of  the  unbelief  of  God's 
chosen  people,  must  be  pronounced  a  secondary  one,  and 
his  solution  of  it  must  be  regarded  rather  as  a  justification 
of  the  results  of  his  ministry  than  as  an  exposition  of  the 
foundations  of  his  faith.  Accordingly  we  iind  ourselves 
rather  in  the  region  of  speculative  theology  than  of  experi- 
mental religion.  Of  Paul's  theology,  as  a  whole,  however, 
we  may  say  that  it  is  his  experience  '  writ  large.'  To  the 
explicitly  autobiographical  element  in  Romans  attention 
will  be  called  in  describing  the  characteristics  of  the 
Epistle ;  but  so  much  about  Paul's  own  experience  it  has 
been  found  necessary  to  state  at  the  very  beginning,  as 
we  must  know,  and  love,  and  trust  Paul,  if  we  are  to 
understand  at  all  the  greatest  of  his  letters.  As  not  only 
much  of  the  phraseology,  but  even  many  of  the  con- 
ceptions of  his  later  epistles,  were  developed  in  opposition 
to  heresy,  and  did  not  belong  originally  to  his  personal 
experience,  although  not  inconsistent  with  his  distinctive 
ideas,  it  is  to  Romans  above  all  that  we  must  look,  if  we 
want  to  apprehend  and  appreciate  the  peculiar  quality 
and  the  distinct  measure  of  him  who  reckoned  himself 
chief  of  sinners  and  least  of  saints,  but  whom  Christen- 
dom honours  as  in  word  and  deed  alike  the  greatest  of 
the  apostles. 


INTRODUCTION  9 

II.  The  Church  in  Rome. 

I.  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  empire,  cast  a  spell  over 
the  mind  and  heart  of  Paul.  As  a  Roman  citizen,  he  not 
only,  when  necessary,  claimed  the  protection  and  privi- 
leges his  citizenship  afforded  him,  but  was  even  proud 
of  his  position.  For  to  him  at  this  time  at  least  the 
Roman  Empire  was  not  an  enemy,  but  an  ally  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  The  hate  and  fury  of  unbelieving 
Judaism  were  being  kept  in  check  by  the  power  of 
Rome,  which  had  as  yet  shewn  itself  only  a  protector, 
and  not  a  persecutor,  of  Christianity.  The  law  and  order 
imposed  on  the  world  by  Roman  armies  and  navies  made 
possible  the  safe  and  frequent  intercourse  between  the 
remcte  parts  of  the  empire,  which  afforded  Paul  the 
opportunity  for  his  constant  and  distant  travels.  He 
travelled  along  Roman  roads  ;  he  chose  as  centres  for  his 
work  the  cities,  which  the  Roman  provincial  administra- 
tion m?.de  important  and  influential ;  he  saw  in  the 
Roman  Empire  a  divinely  provided  opportunity  for  a 
rapid  and  peaceful  spread  of  the  gospel ;  and  accordingly 
in  his  plans  of  labour  we  never  find  him  looking  beyond 
its  bounds.  It  was  once  usual  for  Christian  apologists 
to  dwell  exclusively  on  the  dark  shades  in  the  picture 
which  the  Roman  Empire  presented,  on  the  vices  of  the 
people  and  the  crimes  of  the  rulers  ;  but  there  were  many 
brighter  tints  visible.  Although  Nero  was  on  the  throne, 
yet  he  had  not  yet  shewn  himself  the  monster  that  he 
afterwards  proved  to  be.  The  time  when  the  Epistle  was 
written  has  been  described  as  '  the  happiest  period  of  the 
empire  since  the  death  of  Augustus.'  There  was  good 
government,  wise  and  firm  administration.  The  provinces 
were  well  treated  ;  the  provincial  governors  were  punished 
for  corruption  and  oppression ;  generosity  and  benevo- 
lence to  the  subject-races  were  not  unknown.  The 
police  regulations  in  the  city  of  Rome  itself  were  good 
both  in  intention  and  execution.     Paul  did  not  cherish  an 


lo  ROMANS 

illusion  when  he  recognized  'the  powers  that  be*  as 
'ordained  of  God.'  Stoic  philosophy  was  finding  an 
entrance  into  Roman  society ;  and  its  humanitarian  and 
universalist  ideas,  the  basis  on  which  the  great  system 
of  Roman  law  was  reared,  had  some  kinship  with  the 
gospel.  The  old  religions  had  ceased  to  satisfy  thoughtful 
men,  and  there  was  a  readiness  to  welcome  any  religion 
that  could  enforce  morality  and  promise  immortality. 
Of  this  opportunity  for  religious  propaganda  Judaism  had 
already  taken  advantage ;  and  we  find  that  Jewish  in- 
fluence at  this  time  was  not  only  within  the  imperial 
court,  but  even  not  far  from  the  throne  in  the  person  of 
Poppaea  Sabina. 

2.  As  Judaism,  through  the  converts  that  it  had  already 
won  from  among  the  Gentiles,  was  a  bridge  by  which 
Christianity  passed  over  to  the  Gentile  world,  the  history 
of  Judaism  in  Rome  serves  as  an  introduction  to  the 
history  of  the  Christian  Church  there.  Although  there  had 
been  communications  between  some  of  the  Maccabaean 
rulers  and  the  Roman  Senate  at  an  earlier  date,  yet  we 
may  reckon  as  the  beginning  of  Judaism  in  Rome  the 
settlement  there  (b.  c.  63)  of  a  number  of  Jewish  prisoners 
whom  Pompey  brought  with  him  from  the  East.  As 
owing  to  their  stubborn  adherence  to  their  own  customs 
and  rites  they  did  not  prove  submissive  slaves,  many 
of  them  were  set  free  ;  and  so  numerous  was  this  class  in 
Rome  that  they  had  a  synagogue  of  their  own,  that  of  the 
Libertines  (Acts  vi.  9).  As  the  Jews  enjoyed  the  favour 
of  both  Ccesar  and  Augustus,  the  number  engaged  in 
trade  in  Rome  rapidly  increased.  A  special  part  of  the 
city  was  assigned  to  them,  but  they  had  synagogues  in 
other  parts  as  well.  While  probably  the  greater  number 
were  very  poor,  earning  a  precarious  livelihood  as  huck- 
sters in  a  small  way,  or  even  as  beggars,  yet  not  a  few 
were  prosperous  and  influential,  as  for  instance  the  family 
of  Herod.  Zealous  for  the  spread  of  their  faith  among 
the  Gentiles,  some  of  them  were  mean  enough  to  take 


INTRODUCTION  1 1 

advantage  in  various  ways  of  the  confidence  of  their 
converts.  An  act  of  fraud  practised  on  a  noble  Roman 
lady,  a  convert,  led  to  the  banishment  of  four  thousand  to 
Sardinia  (a.d.  19).  A  dangerous  moment  for  the  Jews 
came  when  Caligula  insisted  (a.d.  41)  on  his  bust  being 
put  up  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem.  His  death  prevented 
this  outrage  on  Jewish  religious  feeling,  and  so  averted 
what  would  probably  have  proved  a  very  violent  persecu- 
tion. In  the  reign  of  Claudius  there  was  an  expulsion  of 
Jews  from  Rome  (a.d.  52).  The  reason  assigned  by 
a  Roman  historian,  Suetonius,  is  a  riot  in  which  Chrestus 
was  the  leader.  It  has  generally  been  supposed  that  the 
reference  in  this  statement  is  to  disturbances  which  arose 
among  the  Jews,  when  first  of  all  Jesus  was  preached 
in  the  synagogues  as  the  Messiah  or  Christ.  If  Aquila 
and  Priscilla  were  already  converts  to  Christianity,  and 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  discussion  of  the  question, 
they  might  be  specially  marked  out  for  banishment.  The 
expulsion  was  not  at  all  general,  and  even  those  who  were 
expelled  were  very  soon  allowed  to  return.  The  Jews 
in  Rome  not  only  enjoyed  freedom  of  worship,  but  were 
also  allowed  to  build  synagogues,  to  collect  the  temple- 
tribute,  to  inflict  punishment  for  moral  or  rehgious  offences 
among  themselves,  to  maintain  a  regular  organization  of 
elders  and  rulers  of  each  synagogue  to  administer  its 
affairs.  Each  synagogue,  as  it  would  seem,  was  placed 
under  the  patronage  of  some  influential  person,  a  Roman 
citizen,  who  was  the  legal  representative  of  the  com- 
munity. While  the  Jews  repelled  the  Roman  populace 
by  their  strict  adherence  to  their  national  customs  and 
rites,  which  seemed  grossly  superstitious,  yet  their  belief 
in  one  God,  and  their  higher  moral  standard  and  more 
certain  hope  of  immortality,  powerfully  attracted  not  a  few 
who  were  in  search  of  a  religion  more  in  accord  with 
conscience  and  reason  than  the  popular  religions  were.  And 
therefore  in  Rome  itself  there  were  more  or  less  closely 
attached  to  the  synagogue  a  number  of  Gentile  proselytes. 


12  ROMANS 

3.  It  is  probable  that  Christianity  found  its  way  to  Rome 
through  the  synagogue,  but  we  cannot  definitely  say  at 
what  time,  (a)  It  is  not  impossible  that  the  first  tidings 
of  Christianity  came  to  Rome  through  Jewish  pilgrims, 
who  had  been  in  Jerusalem  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and 
had  heard  Peter's  sermon  there.  Of  this,  however,  we 
have  no  evidence,  (d)  It  is  quite  certain  that  the  Roman 
Catholic  claim  that  the  apostle  Peter  founded  the  Roman 
Church  in  A.  D.  44,  and  acted  as  its  bishop  for  twenty-five 
years  until  his  martyrdom,  has  not  a  shred  of  historical 
evidence  in  its  favour  ;  but  many  reasons  can  be  given 
against  the  assumption.  Peter  was  present  in  Jerusalem 
at  the  Apostolic  Council  in  a.d.  50.  The  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  which  deals  with  the  life  of  Peter  as  well  as  Paul, 
makes  no  mention  of  the  fact.  Had  Peter  founded  the 
church  as  early  as  A.D.  44,  Paul,  when  he  wrote  his  letter 
to  Romans,  would  have  made  some  mention  of  the  founder, 
and  could  not  have  included  a  church  in  which  another 
apostle  was  in  authority  as  within  his  province  as  Apostle 
of  the  Gentiles.  Even  at  a  later  date,  when  Paul  wrote  his 
Epistle  to  the  Philippians  from  Rome,  there  is  no  mention 
of  Peter's  presence  and  activity.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
deny  that  the  first  Epistle  of  Peter  was  written  from  Rome, 
described  as  Babylon,  or  that  Peter  suffered  martyrdom 
in  Rome ;  but  his  arrival  there  must  probably  be  placed 
after  Paul's  martyrdom,  (c)  It  has  to  be  remembered, 
however,  that  the  age  was  one  in  which  there  was  frequent 
travel  from  one  part  of  the  empire  to  another,  and  that 
Rome  as  the  capital  drew  to  it  men  from  all  the  provinces. 
No  formal  mission  by  an  apostle  needs  to  be  assumed. 
There  may  have  been  Jews,  who  had  come  from  Palestine 
to  Rome,  or  who  had  from  Rome  been  visiting  Jerusalem, 
among  the  first  preachers  of  the  gospel  in  the  synagogues 
in  Rome.  It  is  just  as  likely,  however,  that  some  of  Paul's 
Gentile  converts  from  the  provinces  had  found  their  way 
to  the  capital,  and  had  preached  Christ  directly  to  their 
Gentile  friends.     We  have  no  evidence  in  the  Acts,  and 


INTRODUCTION  13 

the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  offers  no  indications  regarding 
the  origin  of  the  church.  For  an  understanding  of  the 
Epistle  an  answer  to  this  question  is  not  necessary.  What 
it  is  important  for  us  to  try  and  discover  from  the  letter 
itself  is  the  tendency  of  the  church.  Was  it  Pauline  or 
Judaistic  ?  For  it  is  possible  that  a  church  mainly  com- 
posed of  Gentiles  may  have  been  won  over  by  Judaizers, 
as  the  Galatian  Church  had  been,  or  that  a  church,  of 
which  the  majority  were  Jews,  may  have  felt  no  hostility 
to  Paul's  views.     To  this  question  we  turn. 

4.  A  great  variety  of  opinions  regarding  the  tendency 
of  the  church  has  been  maintained,  (a)  In  favour  of 
a  church  composed  mostly  of  Jews,  or  those  in  sympathy 
with  Jewish  views,  the  following  proofs  from  the  letter 
have  been  advanced,  (i)  The  argument  as  a  whole  seems 
to  be  addressed  to  the  Jewish  mind.  Paul  shews  that 
the  possession  of  the  law  by  the  Jews  does  not  exempt 
them  from  judgement.  His  reasonings  about  Abraham 
and  Adam  reflect  Jewish  opinions.  In  shewing  that 
emancipation  from  the  law  does  not  involve  moral  licence, 
and  that  the  Jews  have  no  ground  of  complaint  against 
God,  but  are  themselves  to  blame  for  their  rejection  of 
the  gospel,  he  is  meeting  Jewish  objections,  (ii)  The 
questions  which  he  one  after  another  asks  and  answers 
are  such  as  Jewish  and  not  Gentile  objectors  would  urge 
(iii.  I,  5,  7,  31 ;  iv.  I  ;  vi.  i,  15  ;  vii.  7 ;  ix.  14,  19,  3°;  xi. 
I,  11).  (iii)  He  reckons  himself  along  with  his  readers 
as  a  Jew,  as  when  he  speaks  of  Abraham  and  Isaac  as 
ancestors  (iv.  I,  12;  ix.  10.  See  also  iii.  9).  (iv)  He 
assumes  that  his  readers  had  once  been  under  the  law 
(vii.  I,  5,  6).  (v)  His  teaching  regarding  submission  to 
the  Roman  authorities  was  especially  needed  by  the  Jews, 
who  were  noted  for  their  turbulence  (xiii.  1-7).  (vi)  He  is 
careful  to  disarm  Jewish  prejudice  by  emphatic  assertions 
of  his  Jewish  patriotism  (ix.  1-5  ;  x.  i  ;  xi.  i,  2).  (vii)  It 
is  the  Jewish-Christian  consciousness  that  is  assumed  in 
the  premises  of  some  of  his  arguments  (ii.  2 ;  iii.  2,  8,  19 ; 


14  ROMANS 

vi.  1 6).  But  none  of  these  alleged  proofs  is  convincing, 
(i)  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Gentile  Christians 
received  along  with  the  gospel  the  Old  Testament,  that 
Christianity  came  not  as  something  absolutely  new,  dis- 
connected with  all  that  had  gone  before,  but  as  the 
completion  of  the  Jewish  religion.  For  Gentiles  even  it 
was  necessary  to  shew  the  relation  of  the  old  faith  to  the 
new,  which  presupposed,  yet  superseded,  the  old ;  and 
with  them  even  arguments  from  the  Old  Testament  could, 
and  needed  to,  be  used  to  justify  from  the  Scriptures  of 
the  old  religion  the  fresh  start  made  in  the  new.  (ii)  The 
objections  which  Paul  brings  forward  in  order  to  meet 
them  do  not  exclusively  represent  the  Jewish  standpoint. 
Some  of  them  might  arise  in  the  mind  of  a  Gentile,  for 
whom  some  form  of  moral  restraint  such  as  the  law  afforded 
might  appear  as  a  necessity  in  order  to  escape  moral 
licence,  or  whom  the  contrast  between  prophecy  and 
history  perplexed.  Even  if  some  of  the  objections  are 
distinctively  Jewish-Christian,  yet  Paul  in  seeking  to  ward 
off  every  possible  attack  on  his  gospel  might  deal  with 
objections  felt  not  by  many,  but  by  only  a  few  of  his 
readers.  Any  author  in  meeting  arguments  opposed  to 
his  own  statements  does  not  assume  that  all  his  readers 
regard  these  arguments  as  convincing.  Paul  may  some- 
times have  written  for  the  sake  of  the  few  to  whom  his 
gospel  presented  difficulties,  and  in  helping  them  he  was 
enabled  to  make  his  teaching  clearer  for  all.  (iii)  Even 
when  Paul  speaks  as  a  Jew  of  the  fathers  of  the  race  with 
the  plural  not  singular  pronoun,  the  '  our '  and  the  *  we ' 
may  cover  himself  and  his  countrymen  with  whom  he 
identifies  himself,  and  not  necessarily  himself  and  his 
readers.  The  first  person  plural  of  any  letter  does  not 
necessarily  include  the  writer  and  his  readers,  but  may 
embrace  the  writer  and  some  person  or  persons  closely 
associated  with  him.  (iv)  We  are  not  to  suppose  that 
Paul  always  carefully  distinguished  between  the  contents 
of  his  own  Christian  consciousness,  into  which  a  Jewish 


INTRODUCTION  15 

heredity  and  education  had  been  absorbed,  and  the  contents 
of  the  Christian  consciousness  which  was  distinctive  of 
the  Gentiles.  Among  the  Gentiles  there  were  religious 
experiences  and  moral  developments  analogous  to  that 
which  Paul  passed  through.  When  a  classical  writer  says 
*  I  approve  the  better  and  pursue  the  worse '  he  illustrates 
Paul's  experience  under  the  law.  If  the  Gentiles  had  not 
the  Mosaic  law,  they  had  moral  standards  in  accordance 
with  which  some  of  them  would  find  it  difficult  to  live. 
When  Paul  speaks  of  law  we  are  not  entitled  to  assume 
that  he  means  the  Mosaic  law  exclusively,  (v)  While  the 
Jews  were  prone  to  disorder  and  lawlessness,  it  is  to  be 
remembered  that  It  was  their  consciousness  of  being  God's 
peculiar  people,  and  their  expectation,  based  on  prophetic 
promises,  that  they  would  yet  be  delivered  from  the  Roman 
yoke,  which  made  them  so  unwilling  to  submit  to  their 
foreign  rulers.  Even  the  Gentiles,  accepting  the  eschato- 
logical  beliefs  and  the  Apocalyptic  hopes  of  the  Jewish 
nation,  might  be  led  to  depreciate  the  existing  organization 
of  society ;  and  in  their  own  consciousness  of  spiritual 
liberty  and  a  glorious  destiny  might  rebel  against  social 
restraints  and  limitations.  Christianity  may  be  so  mis- 
understood as  to  demand  not  only  religious  revival  and 
moral  reformation,  but  even  political  revolution.  The 
Anabaptist  movement  and  the  Peasants'  War  at  the  time 
of  the  Reformation  may  serve  as  an  instance.  Paul  may 
have  had  good  reason  to  dread  that  even  among  the 
Gentiles  the  new  faith  might  prove  not  only  a  leaven,  but 
an  explosive,  (vi)  Paul's  assertions  of  his  patriotism  are 
not  logical  devices  or  rhetorical  pretexts,  but  express  his 
own  intense  emotions  for  his  people ;  his  own  heart 
demands  the  words,  (vii)  As  has  already  been  indicated, 
it  is  impossible  to  distinguish  and  separate  the  Jewish- 
Christian  and  Gentile-Christian  consciousness  so  precisely 
as  to  be  able  to  affirm  that  this  statement  assumes  the  one 
and  that  the  other. 

(b)  In  support  of  the  view  that   the  majority  of  the 


i6  ROMANS 

church  was  Gentile  the  following  proofs  can  be  given. 
Paul  reckons  the  Roman  saints  as  Gentiles  (i.  6,  13,  15) 
and  addresses  them  as  the  apostles  of  the  Gentiles  (5,  14, 
15).  He  represents  himself  as  a  priest  presenting  the 
Gentiles  as  an  offering  to  God,  and  gives  this  as  a  reason 
for  writing  so  boldly  to  the  Roman  Church  (xv.  15,  16). 
He  expressly  addresses  a  warning  to  the  Gentile  believers 
as  distinguished  from  the  Jewish  (xi.  13-32) ;  and  through- 
out his  argument  in  regard  to  the  history  of  the  Jewish 
people,  he  writes  of  the  Jews  in  the  third  person  (ix-xi.), 
and  calls  them  'my  kinsmen'  (ix.  3).  These  proofs  are 
conclusive,  and  therefore  we  do  not  need  to  fall  back 
on  more  dubious  arguments,  such  as  these,  that  the 
readers  are  described  as  formerly  '  slaves  of  sin '  (vi.  17)  ; 
that  the  sensual  sins  denounced  were  specially  common 
among  the  Gentiles  (vi.  12,  13  ;  xiii.  13) ;  that  the  'strong' 
in  faith  are  Gentiles  regardless  of  Jewish  scruples  (xiv) ; 
that '  that  form  of  teaching  whereunto  ye  were  delivered ' 
was  Paul's  gospel  (vi.  17). 

(c)  But  even  though  the  composition  of  the  church  was 
Gentile  and  not  Jewish,  yet  the  Judaizers  might  have  been 
busy,  and  might  have  won  over  many  as  in  Galatia.  But  of 
this  the  Epistle  does  not  afford  any  evidence.  Paul's  indig- 
nant refutation  of  the  slander  which  Judaizers  would  be 
likely  to  spread  (iii.  8),  or  his  defence  against  the  objection 
to  his  doctrine  of  justification  that  it  encouraged  moral 
license  (vi.  i),  does  not  prove  this.  His  exhortation  to  the 
'  strong '^o  shew  consideration  to  the  scruples  of  the 
'weak'  (xiv.  i-xv.  13)  does  not  necessarily  imply  any 
division  between  the  Jewish-Christian  and  Gentile- 
Christian  sections,  or  refer  to  any  of  the  questions  at 
issue  in  the  Judaistic  controversy.  The  warning  in  xvi. 
17-20  may  be  directed  against  Judaizers,  but  even  if  it 
is,  its  position  in  the  letter  as  a  kind  of  after-thought 
proves  either  that  the  tendency  had  just  shewn  itself  in 
Rome,  or  that  Paul  as  yet  only  dreaded  the  approach  of 
the  foe.    If  we  cannot  affirm  that  the  Roman  Church  was 


INTRODUCTION  17 

fully  instructed  in  the  Pauline  gospel,  yet  we  have  no 
reason  for  concluding  that  it  was  in  any  way  hostile  to 
it.  There  were  in  the  church  probably  Jews  and  Gentiles 
representing  various  tendencies.  There  might  be  some 
Jews  clinging  to  the  observance  of  the  law,  yet  not 
desiring  to  impose  it  on  the  Gentiles.  There  might  be 
some  Gentiles  who  did  not  realize  all  that  the  gospel 
implied,  having  derived  their  Christianity  from  teachers 
less  advanced  than  Paul.  Other  Gentiles  doubtless  there 
were,  converts  won  by  Paul  himself,  who  heartily  and 
fully  accepted  his  gospel.  It  is  certain  that  to  a  church 
altogether  Pauline  in  tendency  Paul  would  not  have 
needed  to  write  such  an  exposition  of  his  gospel,  but 
that  to  a  church  wholly  Judaistic  in  sympathy  Paul's 
letter  would  have  been  very  different  in  tone  and  method. 

III.  The  Epistle  to  the  Romans. 

I.  Occasion.  On  his  third  missionary  journey  (a.  D. 
49-52  according  to  M^Giffert ;  52-55  according  to  Turner 
in  Hastings'  Dictionary  of  the  Bible)  Paul  spent  nearly 
three  years  in  Ephesus ;  then  he  journeyed  through 
Macedonia  and  Achaia  to  Corinth,  where  he  spent  three 
months ;  after  this  he  again  returned  to  Macedonia,  and 
at  Philippi  he  took  ship  to  pay  his  last  visit  to  Jerusalem 
(Acts  XX.  1-6).  Romans  was  written  during  this  three 
months'  visit  to  Corinth.  In  Corinth  his  host  was  Gaius, 
from  whom  a  greeting  is  sent  in  this  Epistle  (xvi.  23) ; 
probably  he  is  the  same  man  as  is  described  as  one  of  the 
few  believers  in  Corinth  whom  Paul  himself  had  baptized 
(i  Cor.  i.  14).  Titnothy  had  been  sent  to  Corinth  from 
Ephesus  (Acts  xix.  22  ;  i  Cor.  xvi.  10),  was  with  Paul 
when  Romans  was  written  (xvi.  21),  and  started  with 
him  on  the  journey  to  Jerusalem  (Acts  xx.  4).  His  com- 
panion from  Ephesus  to  Macedonia  was  Erastus  (Acts 
xix.  22),  but  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  this  is  the  same 
person  as  the  Erastus  who  is  described  as  'the  treasurer 
of  the  city,'  and  sends  his  greetings  in  Romans  (xvi.  23). 
C 


i8  ROMANS 

When  in  Ephesus,  Paul  had  'purposed  in  the  spirit,  when 
he  had  passed  through  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  to  go  to 
Jerusalem,  saying,  After  I  have  been  there,  I  must  also 
see  Rome'  (Acts  xix.  21).  The  object  of  his  journey 
through  Macedonia  and  Achaia  was  to  take  up  the  collec- 
tions made  by  the  churches  there  for  the  poor  saints 
in  Jerusalem  (l  Cor.  xvi.  1-4  ;  2  Cor.  ix.  1-5).  This 
offering  he  was  resolved  to  present  in  Jerusalem  with  his 
own  hand  (Rom.  xv.  26-28),  as  he  hoped  thereby  to 
draw  closer  the  bonds  of  Christian  fellowship  between 
the  Jewish  and  the  Gentile  believers,  and  to  lessen  the 
hostility  with  which  he  knew  himself  to  be  regarded  by 
the  stricter  section  of  the  church  in  Jerusalem,  as  well 
as  by  the  unbelieving  Jews  (30,  31).  When  this  task  had 
been  discharged,  he  hoped  to  carry  out  his  long-cherished 
wish  to  visit  Rome  (i.  10-13,  xv.  32),  as  he  no\/  regarded 
his  pioneer  missionary  work  in  the  East  as  finished,  since 
*  from  Jerusalem,  and  round  about  even  unto  Illyricum,'  he 
had  ' fully  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ'  (xv.  19).  The 
troubles  in  Galatia,  where  his  gospel  had  been  only  too 
soon  abandoned  by  his  converts  under  the  influence  of 
Judaizers  ;  at  Antioch,  where  an  attempt  was  made  to 
force  circumcision  on  the  Gentiles  ;  at  Jerusalem,  where 
the  freedom  of  the  Gentiles  from  the  law  of  Moses  had  to 
be  asserted  ;  at  Corinth,  where  moral  laxity  and  a  factious 
spirit  had  compelled  him  to  assert  his  authority  only  to 
find  it  defied,  and  his  own  motives  in  exercising  it  sus- 
pected ; — all  these  troubles  had  delayed  his  journey  a  longer 
time  chan  his  missionary  labours  alone  would  have  done 
(i.  13) ;  but  at  last  he  was  free  from  these  trials  as  well  as 
done  with  his  labours,  and  so  his  desire  could  be  fulfilled. 
His  ambition  looked  even  beyond  Rome  to  'the  ends 
of  the  West,'  to  Spain  itself  as  his  next  field  of  labour 
(xv.  28) ;  but  on  his  way  westward  he  desired,  even  in 
Rome,  *to  impart  some  spiritual  gift'  (i.  li),  and  to  'have 
some  fruit'  (13). 

2.  Purpose.     This  visit  to  Rome  would,  however,  be 


INTRODUCTION  19 

of  a  different  character  from  his  visits  to  other  churches. 
To  these  he  had  come  either  as  the  pioneer  missionary  to 
preach  the  gospel,  or  as  the  recognized  founder  to  confirm 
the  faith  of  his  converts.  In  Rome  a  church  aheady 
existed,  not  founded  by  an  apostle,  but  distinguished  for 
its  faith  among  the  churches  of  the  empire  (i.  8). 
Although,  as  the  greetings  in  the  sixteenth  chapter  shew, 
a  number  of  Paul's  friends  or  converts  had  made  their 
way  to  Rome,  yet  most  of  the  members  were  unknown  to 
him,  and  he  could  not  be  sure  of  a  warm  welcome  from 
them.  In  his  letter  he  not  only  intimates,  but  prepares 
for  his  visit.  With  fine  tact  and  noble  courtesy  he 
communicates  his  purpose,  his  desire  to  benefit  them 
spiritually,  and  his  expectation  to  be  himself  benefited 
(i.  II,  12).  He  does  not  command  with  apostohc 
authority,  lie  commends  his  mission  and  his  message 
with  gracious  persuasiveness.  This  introduction  of  him- 
self to  the  church  in  Rome  prior  to  his  visit  is  undoubtedly 
one  end  which  the  Epistle  serves.  It  is  quite  evident, 
however,  that  if  this  were  the  only  reason  Paul  had  for 
writing,  the  means  would  be  quite  out  of  proportion  to 
the  end.  So  systematic,  elaborate,  and  profound  a  writing 
must  have  a  purpose  above  and  beyond  this,  its  immediate 
occasion.     But  what  is  it  ? 

3.  Character.  It  may  be  said  briefly  that  the  ex- 
planations fall  into  three  classes,  (a)  It  was  at  one  time 
maintained  that  the  letter  was  controversial^  that  in  Rome 
there  was  already  a  party  of  Judaizers  opposed  to  Paul's 
gospel  and  denying  his  authority,  and  that  the  letter  was 
written  to  combat  this  tendency.  But  against  this  view 
it  may  be  urged  (i)  that  the  tone  is  very  different  from 
what  we  find  either  in  Galatians,  where  Paul  is  defending 
his  gospel,  or  in  2  Corinthians,  where  he  is  repelling 
attacks  on  his  authority ;  (ii)  that  the  evidence  of  such 
a  tendency  in  Rome  would  need  to  be  very  much  more 
distinct  and  convincing  than  it  is. 

{b)  Again,  it  has  been  held  that  the  letter  was  apologetic ; 
c  2 


20  ROMANS 

that  Paul  was  by  no  means  sure  of  the  sympathy  of  the 
Roman  Church  for  himself,  his  gospel,  or  his  mission ; 
and  that,  in  view  of  his  visit  and  the  plans  of  larger  work, 
for  which  Rome  was  to  be  a  starting-point,  and  in  which 
the  Church  of  Rome  might  give  him  help,  he  attempted  to 
display  the  merits  of,  and  remove  the  objections  to,  his 
gospel.  The  aim  of  his  journey  to  Jerusalem  at  this  time 
was  to  establish,  as  far  as  possible,  harmony  between  Jew 
and  Gentile.  The  same  end  he  sought  to  reach  in  this 
letter.  The  church  in  the  capital  of  the  Roman  Empire 
exercised  a  wide-reaching,  strong  influence  on  the  churches 
in  the  provinces ;  if  it  could  be  won  cordially  to  accept 
and  support  his  gospel,  much  might  be  effected  for  the 
unity  of  the  church.  Hence  the  conciliatory  spirit  of  the 
letter.  Differences  are  not  emphasized ;  an  effort  is  made 
to  do  justice  to  all  phases  of  the  truth.  Possibly  Paul's 
intimate  friends  and  valued  fellow  workers,  Aquila  and 
Priscilla,  if  no  others,  may  have  gone  before  him  to  Rome 
to  discover  exactly  how  the  church  there  was  affected 
to  his  gospel,  and  the  form  of  Paul's  apologetic  may  have 
been  determined  by  information  that  they  had  supplied. 
The  objections  he  meets  may  not  be  simply  such  as  arose 
in  his  own  mind,  or  had  been  brought  against  his  gospel 
elsewhere,  but  as  had  been  already  discussed  in  Rome 
itself.  It  is  very  much  more  probable  that  in  writing  this 
letter  Paul  followed  the  course  he  adopted  in  writing  his 
other  letters,  and  wrote  with  direct  reference  to  the  actual 
situation  in  the  Roman  Church,  than  that  he  was  simply 
guided  by  the  logical  development  in  his  own  mind  of  his 
distinctive  theology,  regardless  of  the  needs  or  dangers  of 
those  whom  he  was  addressing. 

(c)  Very  little,  therefore,  need  be  said  about  the  opinion 
that  in  this  Epistle  we  have  a  dogmatic  treatise,  in  which, 
for  the  satisfaction  of  his  own  mind,  he  cast  his  ideas  into 
a  systematic  form ;  this  he  addressed  to  the  church  in 
Rome  because  of  its  prominence  and  influence,  but  he 
might  just  as  well  have  sent  it  anywhere  else.     This 


INTRODUCTION  21 

explanation  does  not  account  for  the  omission  of  doctrines 
which  we  know  Paul  held  and  valued — his  eschatology 
and  Christology,  for  instance  ;  and'  it  would  make  this 
letter  quite  different  in  character  from  all  the  others, 
which,  without  an  exception,  owe  their  existence  and 
their  form  to  definite  circumstances  in  the  churches 
addressed.  So  much  truth  in  this  explanation  may  be 
allowed.  Paul,  in  view  of  the  possible  termination  of  his 
labours  in  Jerusalem,  and  looking  back  on  the  contro- 
versies through  which  his  gospel  had  gained  its  definite 
form,  may  have  given  a  fuller  and  more  orderly  exposi- 
tion of  his  gospel  than  the  immediate  necessities  of  the 
church  in  Rome  demanded ;  and  may  thus,  without  any 
deliberate  intention,  have  satisfied  the  demand  of  his  own 
mind  for  an  adequate  expression  of  the  truth  as  he  con- 
ceived it.  This,  however,  must  be  maintained  :  that  his 
selection  of  topics  for  discussion,  as  also  the  mode  in 
which  they  are  dealt  with,  was  determined  by  a  definite 
historical  situation  in  the  church  to  which  he  wrote. 

(d)  While  we  may  thus  attempt  to  indicate  generally 
the  purpose  of  the  letter,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
a  mind,  rich  and  full,  living  and  quick  as  Paul's,  cannot 
be  confined  within  the  lim.its  of  one  purpose.  While 
in  this  letter  there  is  a  clearer  plan  more  closely  followed 
than  in  any  of  the  other  letters,  there  are  also  incomplete 
sentences,  frequent  digressions,  emotional  interruptions. 
Paul  knew  a  good  deal  about  the  church  in  Rome,  and 
his  knowledge  controlled  his  writing.  He  felt  strongly 
because  he  had  experienced  what  he  was  expounding, 
and  his  feelings  broke  out  in  his  words.  What  was 
held  in  common  by  himself  and  his  readers  he  did 
not  desire  to  repeat ;  but  what  God  had  revealed  to  him 
as  his  distinctive  gospel  that  he  wanted  to  share  with 
them,  in  order  that  their  own  spiritual  life  might  be 
enriched,  and  that  their  influence  might  be  used  to  bring 
all  the  churches  of  Christ  into  'the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in 
the  bond  of  peace.' 


22  ROMANS 

4.  Argument.  The  course  of  the  argument  may  now 
be  given  in  an  outline,  which  may  be  filled  up  by  the 
detailed  analysis  given  in  the  Commentary.  After  his 
apostolic  salutation  and  his  personal  explanations  Paul 
states  his  subject  as  the  righteousness  of  God,  which  faith 
claims,  and  which  brings  salvation  in  life.  In  the  doctrinal 
exposition  of  this  thesis  which  follows  (i-xi),  Paul,  in  the 
first  division — the  doctrine  of  justificatio7i  (i-v) — first  of  all 
proves  that  Jew  and  Gentile  alike  need  this  righteousness, 
because  both  as  sinful  are  under  God's  condemnation  ; 
secondly,  he  asserts  the  provision  through  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ ;  thirdly,  he  shews  by  the  typical  case  of  Abraham 
that  this  condition  of  faith  as  the  ground  of  acceptance 
before  God  is  not  an  innovation,  but  older  than  the  law 
which  demands  works  ;  fourthly,  he  briefly  indicates  the 
blessings  that  this  gift  of  righteousness  includes— peace, 
adoption,  hope  ;  and  in  conclusion  he  presents  the  contrast 
between  the  old  order  of  sin  and  the  new  order  of  grace 
in  the  typical  persons  Adam  and  Christ,  in  order  to  prove 
the  possibility  of  the  communication  of  grace  and  life 
from  Christ  to  the  race,  even  as  sin  and  death  had  been 
communicated  from  Adam.  The  objection  that  this 
doctrine  of  justification  through  faith  alone  apart  from 
works  encourages  moral  laxity  is  in  the  second  division — 
the  doctrine  of  sanctification  (vi-viii) — met  by  shewing, 
firstly,  that  faith  in  Christ  involves  a  thorough  moral  trans- 
formation ;  secondly,  that  the  new  relation  to  righteousness 
which  faith  involves  and  the  old  relation  to  sin  are 
mutually  exclusive  ;  thirdly,  that  so  complete  a  moral 
transformation  as  the  Christian  has  undergone  abolishes 
entirely  the  relation  to  law  in  which  he  formerly  stood ; 
fourthly,  that  as  the  law  could  not  enforce  its  own  demands 
against  the  rebellious  flesh,  it  has  proved  its  insufficiency 
as  a  means  of  making  men  righteous;  fifthly,  that  in, the 
Holy  Spirit  the  power  of  the  new  life  is  given,  a  life  which, 
through  all  temptation  and  trial,  is  being  perfected  until 
immortality,  glory,  and  blessedness  are  attained.    Another 


INTRODUCTION  23 

objection,  that  this  gospel  has  been  rejected  by  the  chosen 
people,  and  cannot  therefore  be  true  unless  God  has 
forsaken  His  people,  and  so  proved  faithless  to  the 
promises,  is  dealt  with  in  the  third  division—///^  doctrine  of 
election  (ix-xi) — in  an  argument  in  three  stages :  firstly,  that 
God  is  free  to  elect  or  to  reject  whom  He  will ;  secondly, 
that  the  Jewish  people  has  by  its  unbelief  deserved  its 
rejection ;  thirdly,  that  this  rejection  is  neither  total  nor 
final,  as  God's  ultimate  purpose  is  'mercy  on  all.'  The 
doctrinal  exposition  is  followed  by  a  practical  appHcatiojt 
(xii-xv),  which  deals  in  the  first  division  with  Christian 
life  and  work  generally,  and  in  the  second  with  the  special 
necessities  of  the  church  in  Rome.  In  the  general 
exhortation  the  Christian  life  is  described  as  a  sacrifice 
to  God  ;  the  Spirit  of  humility  in  the  use  of  special  gifts  is 
commended  ;  love  is  exhibited  in  its  various  applications  ; 
the  duty  of  the  Christian  to  the  civil  government  is  defined ; 
love  as  the  fulfilment  of  the  law  is  again  referred  to  ;  and 
an  appeal  to  put  off  sin  and  put  on  righteousness  is 
enforced  by  the  nearness  of  Christ's  second  coming.  The 
special  counsel  deals  with  the  consideration  which  the 
'strong'  members  of  the  church — those  who  have  no 
scruples  about  the  use  of  meat  or  wine,  or  the  observance 
of  days  -should  shew  to  the  '  weak ' — those  who  entertain 
such  scruples.  In  drawing  his  letter  to  a  close  Paul  again 
offers  some  personal  explanations  of  his  motive  in  writing 
and  his  plan  of  travel,  commends  the  bearer  of  the  letter, 
sends  a  number  of  greetings  to  friends  in  Rome,  adds 
a  warning  against  false  teachers  who  may  or  have  just 
come  to  Rome,  conveys  the  greetings  of  some  of  his 
companions  in  Corinth  where  he  writes,  and  ends  with 
a  solemn  doxology. 

5.  Authenticity  and  Integrity.  Peter,  who  came  to 
Rome  after  Paul's  martyrdom,  and  wrote  the  first  epistle 
bearing  his  name,  there  shews  that  he  was  familiar  with 
Romans  (cf.  Rom.  ix.  25  and  I  Pet.  ii.  10  ;  Rom.  ix.  32, 
33,  and  I  Pet.  ii.  6-8  ;  Rom.  xii.  I,  2,  and  i  Pet.  i.  4,  ii.  5  ; 


24  ROMANS 

Rom.  xii.  3,  6,  and  I  Pet.  iv.  7-1 1 ;  Rom.  xii.  9  and  I  Pet. 
i.  22  ;  Rom.  xii.  16,  17,  18,  and  i  Pet.  iii.  8,  9,  11 ;  Rom. 
xiii.  I,  3,  4,  7,  and  i  Pet.  ii.  13-17).  So  striking  is  the 
similarity  in  thought  between  i  Peter  and  Romans  that 
some  scholars  have  gone  so  far  as  to  aeny  that  Peter 
wrote  this  letter  bearing  his  name,  and  to  assert  that  it 
was  written  by  a  disciple  of  Paul's.  It  is  not  improbable, 
however,  that  Peter  himself  learned  much  from  reading 
Paul's  letter.  The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  with  some 
probability  regarded  as  written  from  Rome  shortly  before 
the  fall  of  Jerusalem.  In  it  also  we  find  some  resemblances 
to  Romans,  which  suggest  that  the  writer  of  Hebrews,  who- 
ever he  was,  had  also  seen  this  letter  (cf.  Rom.  iv.  17-21  and 
Heb.  xi.  II,  12,  19;  Rom.  xii.  19  and  Heb.  x.  30).  The 
Epistle  of  James  presents  some  resemblances  to  Romans 
(cf.  Rom.  ii.  i  and  Jas.  iv.  11;  Rom.  ii.  13  and  Jas.  i.  22 ; 
Rom.  iv.  I  and  Jas.  ii.  21  ;  Rom.  iv.  20  and  Jas.  i.  6  ;  Rom. 
V.  3-5  and  Jas.  i.  2-4) ;  but  against  the  assumption  of  any 
dependence  is  the  fact  that  there  is  no  evidence  whatever 
of  any  connexion  of  James  with  Rome.  The  resemblances 
can  be  fully  explained  by  a  common  religious  environment; 
and  James's  polemic  against  faith  without  works,  if  it  were 
directed  against  Paul,  would  simply  shew  that  James  did 
not  understand  Paul.  The  faith  Paul  commends  is  not 
the  same  as  the  faith  James  condemns  ;  and  the  works 
James  commends  have  no  likeness  to  the  works  Paul 
condemns.  It  is  probable  that  the  question  of  the  relation 
of  faith  and  works  was  one  discussed  among  Jews  as  well 
as  Christians  in  that  age.  Among  the  Apostolic  Fathers 
we  have  quotations  from  Romans  in  Clement  of  Rome, 
Polycarp,  and  Ignatius ;  among  the  Apologists  in  Aristides 
and  Justin  Martyr;  in  the  heretical  writings  cited  by 
Hippolytus;  and  in  the  Apocalyptic  work.  The  Testaineitt 
of  the  Twelve  Patriarchs,  Though  quoted,  the  Epistle  is 
not  mentioned  by  name  ;  but  Marcion,  about  the  middle  of 
the  second  century,  included  it  as  one  of  the  ten  Pauline 
letters   which   he   formed   into   a   collection   called    The 


INTRODUCTION  25 

Apostolicon.  By  the  end  of  the  second  century  the  letter 
was  freely  used,  and  was  generally  recognized  as  having 
apostolic  authority.  The  doubts  that  in  more  recent 
times  have  been  brought  forward  by  scholars  against  its 
authenticity  rest  on  so  unsubstantial  a  foundation  that 
they  may  be  passed  over  without  any  mention.  The  letter 
is  so  characteristic  of  Paul's  genius  that  to  doubt  its 
authenticity  is  to  confess  that  we  have  not  and  cannot 
have  any  knowledge  of  the  Apostolic  Age  at  all.  But 
while  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Epistle  as  a  whole 
is  the  work  of  Paul,  yet  the  question  may  be  raised 
whether  we  have  it  without  any  change  just  as  it  left 
the  hand  of  Paul.  On  this  general  question  it  may  be 
remarked,  (i)  that  we  have  so  many  copies  in  substantial 
agreement  that  it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  any  extensive 
interpolations  can  have  taken  place ;  (ii)  that  the  continuity 
of  the  argument  (even  the  parentheses  and  digressions 
being  characteristically  Pauline)  excludes  the  possibility  of 
any  serious  alterations  in  the  text.  The  last  two  chapters, 
however,  present  some  curious  textual  phenomena,  from 
which  various  inferences  regarding  the  integrity  of  the 
Epistle  have  been  drawn.  The  contents  of  these  two 
chapters  also  present  some  difficulties,  which  have  led 
some  scholars  to  deny  their  authenticity  in  whole  or  in 
part.  The  discussion  of  this  question,  however,  may 
properly  be  deferred  until  the  Commentary  has  afforded 
the  data  necessary  for  a  decision  of  the  issues  raised. 

6.  Constituents.  In  the  broad  and  deep  volume  of 
the  stream  of  the  Epistle  many  currents  of  thought  and 
life  meet  and  blend,  {a)  Paul's  personal  experience  is  in 
all  his  theology ;  but  besides  the  personal  allusions  such 
as  might  be  expected  in  any  letter,  there  are  two  auto- 
biographical passages  of  exceptional  interest.  In  the 
one  Paul  describes  the  misery  of  his  bondage  to  sin 
when  under  the  law  (vii.  7-25)  ;  and  in  the  other  the 
thorough  inward  change  wrought  in  him  by  his  faith  in 
Christ  (vi.  1-6). 


26  ROMANS 

(d)  His  Jewish  estimate  of  the  authority  and  mode  of 
interpretation  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  find 
abundant  illustration.  Although  Romans  does  not  afford 
so  striking  instances  of  the  Rabbinic  method  as  Galatians 
(iii.  1 6,  seed,  not  seeds  ;  iv.  21-31,  Sarah  an  J  Hagar  as 
an  allegory  of  the  two  covenants)  or  i  Corinthians  (x.  4, 
Christ  as  the  spiritual  rock),  yet  even  in  Romans  his 
method  is  not  the  critical  and  historical  which  we  now 
regard  as  alone  valid.  He  generally  quotes  from  the 
Greek  version,  called  the  Septuagint,  and  denoted  by 
the  symbol  LXX.  Only  two  out  of  eighty-four  quotations 
are  independent  of  this  version,  and  are  taken  from  the 
Hebrew  original  or  some  other  version ;  twelve  depend 
upon  it,  but  vary  considerably ;  and  the  remaining 
seventy,  if  varying  from  it  at  all,  do  so  very  slightly. 
The  inexactness  of  many  of  the  quotations  suggests  that 
Paul  quoted  from  memory  without  reference  to  any 
manuscript.  He  uses  the  same  formulae  of  quotation 
as  the  Rabbis,  most  commonly  'as  it  is  written,'  or  'for 
it  is  written';  sometimes  the  question,  'What  saith  the 
scripture?'  throws  a  citation  into  greater  prominence; 
'the  scripture  saith'  or  'He  (God)  saith'  are  used  as 
equivalent ;  but  the  human  author  is  also  mentioned,  as 
David  (iv.  6),  Isaiah  (ix.  27),  Moses  (x.  5^.  He  strings 
together  a  number  of  passages  from  different  sources, 
as  in  the  proof  of  man's  sinfulness  (iii.  10-18),  and  of 
the  call  of  the  Gentiles  and  rejection  of  the  Jews  (ix.  25- 
29,  XV.  9-12).  It  is  not  improbable  that  such  collections 
of  proof-texts  were  current  in  the  Rabbinic  schools.  His 
use  is  not  fanciful  or  forced,  but  he  puts  on  the  words  any 
meaning  which,  as  they  stand,  they  can  bear,  without  any 
regard,  however,  to  the  context  or  the  circumstances 
under  which  the  words  were  first  spoken  or  written. 
He  applies  to  the  Gentiles  words  spoken  of  the  Ten 
Tribes  (ix.  25,  26),  and  he  uses  words  in  which  the 
gracious  character  of  the  law  of  God  is  described  to 
indicate  the  distinction  between  the  gospel  and  the  law 


INTRODUCTION  27 

(x.  6-8).  As  a  rule,  however,  Paul's  use  of  the  Old 
Testament  is  logically  correct ;  for  even  when  the  words 
are  quoted  in  another  sense  than  the  immediate  context 
suggests,  yet  the  principles  and  spirit  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment are  rightly  apprehended.  But  there  is  also  a  literary 
use  of  the  Old  Testament  by  Paul  when  he  is  not  proving 
the  truth  of  his  statements  by  an  appeal  to  the  Old 
Testament,  but  is  simply  using  the  familiar  words  of 
the  Scriptures  to  express  his  own  thoughts.  He,  for 
instance,  applies  to  the  messengers  of  the  gospel  words 
used  in  a  Psalm  of  the  heavenly  bodies  (x.  18).  Probably 
in  the  quotation  already  referred  to  (x.  6-8),  in  which 
what  is  said  of  the  law  is  applied  to  the  gospel,  the  words 
are  not  used  for  logical  proof,  which  would  be  an 
illegitimate  use,  but  for  rhetorical  effect,  a  justifiable 
appropriation.  These  two  uses  cannot  always  be  sharply 
distinguished,  as  the  statement  of  an  unfamiliar  truth  in 
familiar  language  helps  to  persuade  and  convince,  and 
so  has  not  only  a  rhetorical  propriety,  but  also  a  logical 
value.  There  are  some  passages  in  Romans,  however, 
in  which  the  Old  Testament  is  used  not  only  as  illustration 
but  as  argument ;  and  wath  a  meaning  which  the  original 
sense  does  not  justify  or  even  contradicts.  Words  are 
quoted  from  the  law  to  condemn  the  law ;  a  Messianic 
reference  is  given  to  passages  not  originally  Messianic ; 
and  cspecir.lly  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles  is  proved  by 
words  which  have  no  reference  to  the  Gentiles  at  all. 
But  it  must  always  be  remembered  that  Paul  used,  and 
it  would  be  a  miracle  had  he  not  used,  the  methods  of  his 
age.  Controversially  his  method  was  justified,  as  the 
opponents  he  had  to  meet  were  ready  to  use  the  Scriptures 
in  the  very  same  way.  Elaborate  attempts  are  sometimes 
made  to  justify  from  our  modern  standpoint  all  Paul's 
quotations,  but  we  relieve  ourselves  of  many  difficulties 
at  once  if  we  frankly  recognize  that  Paul  used  the  words 
of  Scripture  in  any  sense  proper  for  his  purpose  which 
they  appeared  to  bear,  without  troubling  himself  to  consult 


28  ROMANS 

the  context  as  to  whether  this  was  the  true  sense  or  not. 
It  must,  however,  be  added  that  Paul  in  his  interpretation 
of  the  Old  Testament  was  faithful  to  its  dominant  purpose. 
Old  Testament  prophecy  was  opposed  to  ritualism  and 
legalism,  and  longed  for  a  new  covenant  better  than  the 
old ;  there  is  a  Messianic  hope  as  an  essential  and  vital 
element  in  the  Divine  revelation ;  in  the  prophetic 
predictions  there  was  an  occasional  transcendence  of 
national  particularism,  and  a  partial  recognition  of  the 
inclusion  of  the  nations  in  God's  purpose  for  His  own 
chosen  people.  Paul's  theology  appropriated  what  was 
most  universal,  progressive,  and  gracious  in  the  thought 
of  the  Old  Testament ;  and  if  he  finds  in  some  passages 
more  than  they  contain,  it  is  because  he  places  himself 
at  the  height  to  which  revelation  had  risen  in  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  law  and  the  prophets  in  Christ.  The  two 
quotations  to  which  Paul  attaches  very  special  value 
illustrate  this  development  of  germs  of  thought  and  life 
in  the  Old  Testament  into  full  vitality  and  vigour  in  the 
Christian  revelation.  Habakkuk's  words,  'the  righteous 
shall  live  by  faith'  (ii.  4),  and  the  words  written  about 
Abraham  (Gen.  xv.  6),  'Abraham  believed  God,  and  it 
w?s  reckoned  unto  him  for  righteousness,'  legitimately 
afford  in  the  Old  Testament  a  basis  for  Paul's  distinctive 
doctrine  of  justification  by  faith. 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  the  books  which  are  quoted 
and  the  use  made  of  these  quotations.  Genesis  affords 
five  references  to  the  story  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and 
Esau.  The  four  quotations  from  Exodus  include  two 
references  to  the  commandments,  and  two  statements 
regarding  Moses  and  Pharaoh  as  the  objects  respectively 
of  the  Divine  favour  and  wrath.  From  Leviticus  is  taken 
the  description  of  the  law  as  a  way  of  life  to  the  obedient 
only.  Words  from  Deuteronomy  describe  the  grace  of 
the  gospel,  the  purpose  of  God  to  provoke  the  jealousy 
of  the  Jews  by  the  call  of  the  Gentiles,  the  joy  of  the 
Gentiles  in  the  salvation  common  to  them  and  the  Jews, 


INTRODUCTION  29 

and  God's  sole  right  to  execute  vengeance.  The  two 
verses  quoted  from  Kings  contain  Elijah's  complaint 
against  Israel  and  Jehovah's  response.  God's  inde- 
pendence of  His  creatures  is  described  in  words  from 
Job.  The  duty  of  the  Christian  to  his  enemies  is  enforced 
by  precepts  found  in  Proverbs  (also  Leviticus).  Hosea's 
words  about  the  rejection  and  restoration  of  the  Ten  Tribes 
are  applied  to  the  Gentiles.  Joel's  saying  about  the 
universal  salvation  offered  to  God's  chosen  people  in  the 
day  of  His  judgement  is  extended,  contrary  to  Joel's 
intention,  to  include  all  mankind.  Habakkuk  yields  the 
great  statement  about  justification  by  faith.  Malachi's 
contrast  between  Jacob  and  Esau  is  applied  either  in  the 
original  sense  to  the  nations  Judah  and  Edom  or  to 
the  persons  themselves.  The  Psalms,  spoken  of  as 
David's,  yield  fifteen  quotations :  seven  of  these  are 
strung  together  to  describe  human  depravity ;  one  pro- 
nounces the  blessedness  of  the  man  freely  forgiven  ;  one 
affirms  God's  righteousness  in  judging  mankind ;  one  is 
a  complaint  of  saints  suffering  for  righteousness ;  one, 
an  imprecation  on  persecutors,  is  used  to  describe  the 
hardening  that  had  come  on  God's  chosen  people ;  what 
is  said  of  the  heavenly  bodies  is  in  one  applied  to  the 
messengers  of  the  gospel ;  to  two  a  Messianic  reference 
is  given  which  the  original  context  does  not  directly 
suggest ;  and  one  is  a  call  to  the  Gentiles  to  praise  God 
for  salvation.  The  book  which  is  most  quoted,  however, 
is  Isaiah.  The  reproach  which  the  sins  of  the  Jewish 
people  in  Paul's  own  time  brought  on  God  is  described 
in  words  from  the  second  part  of  Isaiah,  which  also 
affords  two  quotations  to  describe  human  depravity. 
Isaiah  is  quoted  to  prove  Israel's  unbelief  and  rejection 
(four  times),  the  survival  of  a  remnant  (twice),  the  sending 
forth  of  the  messengers  of  the  gospel  (once),  the  belief 
of  the  Gentiles  (thrice),  the  blessings  of  faith  (once),  the 
coming  of  the  Messiah  (twice),  and  the  infinite  wisdom 
of  God  (once).     From  this  enumeration  it  appears  that 


30  ROMANS 

the  points  which  Paul  sets  himself  specially  to  prove 
from  the  Old  Testament  are  these  :  the  universality  of 
sin,  the  necessity  of  faith,  the  sovereignty  of  God,  the 
unbelief  and  rejection  of  the  Jews,  the  call  and  faith  of 
the  Gentiles.  Accordingly  we  find  no  quotation  in  the 
fifth,  sixth,  and  sixteenth  chapters,  only  one  each  in  the 
first,  second,  seventh,  eighth,  thirteenth,  and  fourteenth 
chapters,  two  quotations  in  the  twelfth  chapter ;  but  ten 
in  the  third  chapter,  four  in  the  fourth,  eleven  each  in 
the  ninth  and  the  tenth,  seven  in  the  eleventh,  and  six 
in  the  fifteenth  chapter,  which  returns  to  the  subject  of 
chapters  nine  to  eleven.  It  is  noteworthy  that  Paul  does 
not  prove  the  necessity  of  Christ's  death  or  the  nature 
of  his  atonement  from  the  Old  Testament.  He  does  not 
illustrate  the  Christian's  union  with  Christ  or  hope  for 
the  hereafter  from  the  Old  Testament.  Apart  from  the 
illustrative  use  already  mentioned,  it  is  to  be  remarked 
that  the  Old  Testament  is  quoted  generally  as  against 
Jewish  or  Judaizing  opponents.  That  does  not  mean 
that  Paul  undervalued  the  Scriptures,  for  he  expresses 
his  sense  of  Jewish  privilege  in  possessing  them  (iii.  2, 
ix.  4)  and  their  worth  to  the  Christian  (xv.  4)  ;  but  that 
he  was  not  conscious  that  what  was  most  characteristic 
of  the  Christian  faith  needed  any  other  evidence  than 
the  experience  of  God's  grace  afforded. 

{c)  But  besides  proofs  of  the  influence  of  the  Old 
Testament,  we  have  traces  of  Paul's  knowledge  of  extra- 
canonical  Jewish  literature,  and  of  his  acquaintance  with 
contemporary  Jewish  theological  thought,  (i)  His  state- 
ment (i.  18-32)  about  the  revelation  of  God  in  nature, 
the  inexcusableness  of  pagan  ignorance,  the  vanity  of 
the  pagan  mind,  the  shame  of  idolatry,  the  immorality 
consequent  on  idolatry,  has  a  striking  resemblance  to 
passages  in  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon  (xiii.  i,  5  ;  ii-  23 ; 
xviii.  9;  xiii.  8,  i  ;  xii.  24,  i  ;  xiv.  8;  xiii.  10,  13,  14,  17; 
xiv.  II,  21,  12,  16,  22,  25,  27).  To  passages  in  the  same 
book  chap.  ix.  offers  some  likeness.    Man's  powerlessness 


INTRODUCTION  31 

against  God,  God's  patience  with  man,  the  freedom  of 
the  potter  in  the  handhng  of  the  clay,  are  mentioned 
(xi.  21  ;  xii.  12,  10,  20;  xv.  7)  in  similar  terms.  The 
writer  of  ^his  book  in  chaps,  x-xix.  attempts  a  philosophy 
of  history  even  as  Paul  does  in  chaps,  ix-xi ;  but  while 
the  latter's  sympathy  is  wide  as  humanity,  and  so  he  sees 
in  history  a  Divine  purpose  to  save  all  mankind,  the 
former  in  his  feelings  is  a  thoroughly  narrow  Jew,  whose 
ideas  have  been  very  slightly  modified  by  Hellenic 
culture,  so  that  on  the  one  hand  he  judges  indulgently 
Israel's  sin,  and  on  the  other  he  has  not  any  hope  for  the 
Gentiles. 

(ii)  Although  Paul's  views  on  faith  are  characteristically 
original,  yet  even  in  Jewish  literature  some  attention 
was  being  given  to  the  subject.  In  the  Apocalyptic 
literature  faith  means  fidelity  to  the  Old  Testament 
religion,  and  it  is  predicated  of  the  Messiah  himself  as 
well  as  of  his  subjects  ;  but  faith  does  not  here  stand 
alone  as  the  condition  of  salvation,  but  works  are 
associated  with  it.  The  saying  quoted  by  Paul  about 
Abraham's  faith  (iv.  3)  was  discussed  in  the  Jewish 
schools.  In  I  Maccabees  ii.  52,  the  words  'Abraham 
believed  in  God '  are  paraphrased  '  Abraham  was  found 
faithful  in  temptation.'  Philo  refers  at  leact  ten  times 
to  this  statement,  and  lays  great  stress  on  the  virtue  of 
trust  in  God ;  but  for  him  Abraham's  history  is  an 
allegory  of  the  union  of  the  soul  to  God  by  instruction. 
In  a  Rabbinic  tract,  Mechieta,  there  is  a  passage  in  praise 
of  faith  in  which  it  is  said,  'Abraham  our  father  inherited 
this  world  and  the  world  to  come  solely  by  the  merit  of 
faith,  whereby  he  believed  in  the  Lord.'  Hab.  ii.  4 
is  also  quoted  with  the  comment,  '  Great  is  faith.'  But 
that  faith  was  narrowed  down  to  the  barren  belief  that 
James  so  severely  condemns  is  shewn  by  another  passage 
from  the  writing  entitled  Siphri,  *  God  punishes  more 
severely  for  doctrine  than  for  practice.' 

(iii)  It   is  at   current   doctrine  Paul  strikes  when  he 


32  ROMANS 

insists  that  circumcision  of  itself  has  no  value,  for  the 
Jewish  schools  taught  that  an  apostate  Jew  could  not  go 
down  to  Gehenna  till  his  circumcision  had  been  removed, 
that  God  Himself  took  part  in  Abraham's  circumcision, 
that  it  was  his  circumcision  that  enabled  him  to  beget 
Isaac  as  a  '  holy  seed,'  and  to  become  the  father  of  many 
nations. 

(iv)  Although  the  Jewish  teachers  did  not  generally 
hold  the  doctrine  of  original  sin  and  natural  depravity, 
yet  some  of  them  did  teach  that  death  was  due  to 
Adam's  sin,  that  the  beginning  of  sin  was  from  woman, 
that  Adam's  transgression  introduced  a  permanent  in- 
firmity in  the  race,  and  that  nevertheless  man's  individual 
responsibility  remained.  Paul,  in  what  he  says  about  the 
results  for  mankind  from  Adam's  fall  (v.  12-20),  is 
reproducing  the  thought  of  his  age  with  greater  emphasis 
on  the  oneness  of  the  race  and  the  power  of  sin. 

(v)  The  belief  which  Paul  expresses  in  the  renovation 
of  nature  at  the  establishment  of  the  Messianic  kingdom 
(viii.  19-21)  was  cornmon  in  his  day,  and,  without  the 
restraint  of  language  he  displays,  finds  distinct  and 
frequent  expression  in  the  abundant  Apocalyptic  literature 
which  professes  to  unveil  the  secrets  of  the  future.  In 
these  writings  the  glowing  poetry  of  some  of  the  prophets, 
especially  of  the  second  part  of  Isaiah,  is  literalized  and 
dogmatized,  and  so  eloquent  figures  are  turned  into 
prosaic  facts. 

(vi)  In  contemporary  Jewish  literature  the  election  by 
God  of  Israel  was  strongly  maintained.  The  covenant 
between  God  and  Israel  was  regarded  as  so  binding  on 
God  that  no  sin  could  alter  it,  that  the  worst  Israelite 
was  deemed  better  than  any  Gentile,  that  no  Israelite 
could  perish,  but  all  Israelites  must  inherit  the  blessings 
of  the  Messianic  Age.  For  Israel  alone  God  cared,  and 
all  mankind  besides  was  excluded  from  His  purpose  of 
grace.  Paul  had  possibly  himself  at  one  time  held  this 
view,  but  as  a  Christian  he  combats  it,  and  he  insists 


INTRODUCTION  33 

(ix,  x),  as  the  prophets  had  maintained  in  opposition  to 
the  popular  belief  of  their  times,  that  the  covenant  was 
conditional,  that  it  imposed  obligations  as  well  as  con- 
ferred privileges,  that  its  blessings  could  be  enjoyed  only 
as  its  duties  were  done. 

(vii)  The  merits  of  the  fathers,  to  which  Paul  alludes 
(xi.  28),  were  much  discussed  in  the  Jewish  schools. 
Even  in  the  time  of  Ezekiel  it  was  believed  that  their 
virtues  might  secure  exemption  from  judgement  for  their 
descendants ;  and  the  prophet  protests  against  this  view. 
'Though  these  three  men,  Noah,  Daniel,  and  Job,  were 
in  it,  they  should  deliver  but  their  own  souls  by  their 
righteousness'  (xiv.  14).  'We  have  Abraham  to  our 
father'  was  a  common  cry,  which  John  the  Baptist 
condemned  (Matt.  iii.  9).  It  was  taught  by  some  of  the 
Rabbis  that  the  superfluous  merits  of  the  patriarchs 
would  be  transferred  to  the  nation  to  make  up  for  its 
shortcomings.  In  a  tract,  Shemoih  rabba,  the  words  in 
the  Song  of  Songs,  '  I  am  black,  but  comely '  (i.  5),  are 
thus  commented  on.  '  The  congregation  of  Israel  speaks  : 
I  am  black  through  mine  own  works,  but  lovely  through 
the  works  of  my  fathers.'  This  has  some  resemblance  to 
Paul's  words,  'they  are  beloved  for  the  fathers'  sake' 
(xi.  28).  A  close  analogy  to  his  statement,  '  if  the  root 
is  holy,  so  are  the  branches'  (verse  16),  is  presented 
in  the  language  of  the  writing  Wajjikra  rabba,  '  As  this 
vine  supports  itself  on  a  trunk  which  is  dry,  while  it  is 
itself  green  and  fresh,  so  Israel  supports  itself  on  the 
merit  of  the  fathers,  although  they  already  sleep.'  But 
while  there  is  resemblance,  yet  there  is  also  difference. 
The  holiness  of  the  fathers  and  the  approval  which  God 
bestowed  on  them  are  regarded  by  Paul  as  reasons  for 
God's  continuing  His  undeserved  mercy,  as  grounds  for 
hoping  for  Israel's  repentance;  but  the  merits  of  the 
fathers  are  not  represented  as  a  substitute  which  God 
will  accept  for  the  personal  righteousness  of  their 
descendants,  as  in  Jewish  thought.  Other  illustrations 
D 


34 


ROMANS 


might  be  given,  but  these  will  suffice  to  shew  how  far 
Paul  was  influenced  by  contemporary  Jewish  thought. 

(d)  The  Judaistic  controversy  which  Paul's  gospel  had 
provoked  within  the  Christian  Church  is  still  heard  in 
echoes  in  the  Epistle.  While  Paul  does  not  directly 
allude  to  this  controversy  as  in  Galatians,  while  his  tone 
everywhere  is  conciliatory,  yet  he  shews  throughout  his 
consciousness  that  his  theology  has  been  objected  to  and 
opposed.  While  we  need  not  assume  on  the  one  hand 
that  there  was  any  Judaizing  party  in  Rome,  and  cannot 
suppose  on  the  other  hand  that  Paul  was  stating  only 
possible  objections  in  order  to  develop  his  argument 
completely,  it  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  some  of  Paul's 
friends  in  Rome  reported  to  him  the  actual  objections 
made  when  they  sought  to  commend  his  gospel.  Such 
objections  were  that  it  denied  all  advantage  to  the  Jew ; 
that  it  represented  the  law  as  sin,  and  made  it  of  no 
effect ;  that  it  encouraged  moral  licence ;  that  it  repre- 
sented God  as  unrighteous,  because  unfaithful  to  the 
promises  to  His  elect  nation.  In  answering  these  objec- 
tions especially  Paul  falls  back  on  the  Scriptures. 

(e)  But  while  all  these  contributory  streams  claim 
recognition,  yet  the  volume  and  velocity  of  the  current 
of  thought  in  Romans  is  due  to  the  profound  and  sublime 
religious  reason  of  Paul  himself.  With  the  quick  facility 
and  the  rich  fertility  of  a  great  intellect,  Paul  works  out 
the  ultimate  implicates  as  the  final  conclusions  of  his 
theological  position.  The  distinctive  ideas  are  expounded 
in  Romans  with  a  fullness  not  found  elsewhere  in  his 
writings.  Justification  is  through  faith  in  God's  grace, 
not  through  merit  of  works.  The  Old  Testament  itself, 
in  the  time  and  manner  of  the  promise  to  Abraham, 
anticipated  the  order  of  grace.  Grace  and  life  can  be 
communicated  from  Christ  as  widely  and  surely  as  sin 
and  death  from  Adam.  Faith  is  so  intimate  a  union  with 
Christ  that  Christ's  experience  becomes  typical  of  the 
spiritual   process   by   which   the    Christian   is    delivered 


INTRODUCTION  35 

from  sin  and  renewed  unto  holiness.  Law  is  as  un- 
necessary as  it  is  inefficient  as  a  means  of  holy  living. 
Man's  experience  now  of  the  indwelling  and  inworking 
of  God's  Holy  Spirit  is  the  pledge  of  his  perfection,  glory, 
and  blessedness  hereafter.  God's  purpose  is  to  embrace 
all  mankind  in  His  mercy ;  and  He  can  use  even  man's 
disobedience  for  the  furtherance  of  that  end.  These  are 
the  original  conceptions  which  this  letter  expounds,  illus- 
trates, and  applies. 

(/)  In  common  with  the  other  teachers  of  the  early 
church  generally,  Paul  teaches  Christ's  Messiahship, 
Divine  Sonship,  Heavenly  Lordship,  his  death  as  a 
propitiation  for  sin,  the  declaration  of  his  Sonship  at 
his  resurrection,  his  universal  presence  and  supreme 
power,  his  return  in  glory  to  judge  all  men,  the  establish- 
ment of  his  dominion  in  a  renewed  world.  He  does  not, 
however,  develop  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  person,  as  in 
later  epistles  (Philippians,  Colossians,  Ephesians)  he  is 
forced  to  do  in  opposition  to  heresy.  He  has  less  to  say 
in  exposition  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  sacrifice  than 
even  in  Galatians.  Although  the  nearness  of  Christ's 
Second  Coming  is  appealed  to  as  a  practical  motive,  there 
is  no  eschatology  as  in  i  and  2  Thessalonians.  We  have 
not,  therefore,  in  Romans  a  complete  presentation  of 
Christian  truth,  and  this  is  the  fatal  objection  to  the  view- 
that  its  purpose  is  primarily  dogmatic.  We  have  simply 
an  exposition  and  a  defence  of  the  Pauline  gospel,  in 
which  all  the  mental  resources  at  the  command  of  Paul 
are  laid  under  contribution  and  made  subordinate  to  his 
purpose. 

7.  Logical  method.  The  logical  method  of  the 
Epistle  will  repay  study.  Besides  appeals  to  personal 
experience,  proofs  drawn  from  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures, repudiation  of  false  inferences  from  his  principles 
in  the  phrase  '  God  forbid,'  in  which  the  moral  conscious- 
ness or  the  religious  spirit  without  argum.ent  asserts  itself 
against  what  offends  it,  assumptions  that  certain  truths 

D    2 


36  ROMANS 

are  self-evident  to  the  Christian  mind — as  that  God  shall 
judge  the  world— there  are  various  forms  of  argument  used 
by  Paul.  His  proof  of  universal  sinfulness  apart  from 
its  confirmation  by  Scripture  is  in  accordance  with  the 
inductive  method  (a  posteriori).  After  an  examination 
of  all  the  particulars  a  general  conclusion  is  stated.  The 
deductive  method  is  [a  priori)  still  more  frequently  used. 
From  God's  office  as  judge  it  is  inferred  that  He  must  be 
just,  and  from  His  creatorship  that  He  can  do  as  He 
will  with  His  creatures.  The  argument  from  a  lesser  to 
a  greater  reason  {a  fortiori)  is  employed  in  the  contrast 
between  Adam  and  Christ.  If  the  lesser  person  Adam 
could  bring  sin  and  death  on  the  whole  race,  how  much 
more  can  the  greater  person  Christ  bring  grace  and  life 
to  all.  A  more  complex  example  of  this  kind  of  reasoning 
is  found  in  the  inference  in  chap.  v.  from  what  God  has 
already  done  to  what  He  will  still  do.  If  justified  by  the 
death  of  Christ,  the  believer  will  much  more  be  saved  by 
his  life.  The  initial  justification  is  more  difficult  than  the 
final  salvation.  The  life  of  Christ  is  even  more  potent 
than  his  death.  If  the  lesser  power  has  achieved  the 
greater  task,  the  greater  power  may  be  trusted  to  accom- 
plish the  easier  task.  What  is  known  as  the  argumeiitiwi 
ad  homtftem,  the  argument  which  does  not  appeal  to 
absolute  truth,  but  is  addressed  exclusively  to  the  stand- 
point of  the  opponent  in  the  controversy,  whether  that  be 
true  or  false,  is  used  in  the  ninth  chapter,  where  Paul 
does  not  write  out  of  his  own  Christian  consciousness  of 
God  as  Father  of  all,  but  addresses  himself  to  the 
Jewish  standpoint,  which  without  qualification  affirmed 
the  Divine  sovereignty.  Even  the  reductio  ad  ahsurdum, 
the  disproof  of  a  statement  by  shewing  the  absurdity  which 
it  involves,  is  employed  in  the  argument  that  if  God's 
election  of  the  remnant  is  of  works,  'grace  is  no  more 
grace'  (xi.  6).  The  argument  by  analogy  is  often 
employed,  as  for  instance  to  prove  the  impossibility  of 
the  Christian's  service  both  of  sin  and  righteousness,  the 


INTRODUCTION  37 

/reedom  from  the  law  of  the  Christian  who  has  died  to 
sin  with  Christ,  the  mutual  dependence  of  the  members 
of  the  church  as  one  body,  the  absolute  power  of  God 
over  man  as  of  the  potter  over  his  clay,  the  contrast  of 
Jew  and  Gentile  in  relation  to  God's  purpose  of  grace 
as  the  natural  and  the  engrafted  branches  of  a  tree. 
Historical  facts  also  are  made  to  yield  theological  truths  ; 
the  date  of  Abraham's  circumcision,  after  and  not  before 
his  being  reckoned  righteous  on  account  of  his  faith,  is 
claimed  as  a  proof  that  faith  alone  commends  to  God. 
The  construction  of  a  complex  argument  is  seen  in 
chapters  ix-xi :  first  one  proposition,  God's  absolute 
freedom,  is  proved  ;  then  the  complementary  proposition, 
man's  liberty  and  responsibility  ;  lastly,  their  apparent 
contradiction  is  removed  in  the  conclusion  that  God 
subordinates  even  man's  disobedience  to  the  fulfilment 
of  His  purpose.  This  argument,  however,  illustrates 
a  danger  of  the  method  :  the  one  aspect  of  the  truth  is 
stated  in  so  unqualified  a  way  that  it  appears  as  if  it  were 
all  the  truth,  and  excluded  every  other  aspect.  Paul's 
separation,  in  the  same  way,  of  his  doctrine  of  justification 
from  his  doctrine  of  sanctification  has  undoubtedly  led 
to  practical  as  well  as  theoretical  error.  Paul's  argu- 
ments are  not  always  convincing.  In  his  proof  from 
his  personal  experience  of  the  impotence  of  the  law 
by  itself  to  overcome  sin  he  does  not  shew,  as  his 
argument  required,  that  the  law  can  have  no  place  in 
the  Christian  life.  He  pronounces  the  commandment 
'  holy,  righteous,  and  good ' ;  if  it  is  all  this,  how  can  the 
Christian  life  supersede  it  ?  If  the  law  is  spiritual,  why 
may  not  the  life  in  the  spirit  be  a  life  under  law  ?  What 
needed  to  be  shewn,  although  Paul  failed  to  shew  it,  was 
that  the  law  at  its  best,  apart  altogether  from  the 
antagonism  of  the  flesh,  represented  a  lower  stage  of 
moral  and  religious  development  than  the  life  in  the 
Spirit.  These  instances  of  Paul's  logical  method  may 
afford  some  guidance  in  the  intelligent  study  of  Romans. 


38  ROMANS 

8.  Literary  style.  Although  his  letter  was  addressed 
to  Rome,  it  was  written  in  Greek,  which  was,  however, 
the  language  of  the  Roman  Church  for  '  two  centuries 
and  a  half  at  least.'  Paul,  however,  did  not  write  the 
classical  language,  but  the  common  speech  among  the 
mixed  nationalities  in  the  Roman  Empire,  which  owed 
its  wide  diffusion  to  the  conquests  of  Alexander.  It  was 
a  far  less  subtle  and  refined  language  than  that  found 
in  the  best  Greek  authors.  Although  expositors  have 
sometimes  tried  to  apply  the  rules  of  classical  Greek  to 
the  New  Testament,  yet  it  is  coming  to  be  more  generally 
recognized  that  what  we  have  before  us  is  a  far  less 
accurate  and  resourceful  medium  of  expression.  Besides, 
Paul  dictated  his  letters  to  a  companion,  doubtless  often 
as  he  was  himself  engaged  in  manual  toil,  and  he  did  not 
take  time  to  finish  and  to  pohsh  his  sentences  in  a  revisal 
of  his  manuscript.  We  shall  therefore  be  simply  pursuing 
a  phantom,  if  we  seek  in  his  mode  of  expression  for  those 
niceties  and  subtleties  of  language  in  which  the  scholar 
delights,  but  for  which  the  common  man  has  no  liking 
nor  understanding.  Paul  was  not  a  Greek  scholar  with 
a  '  grammatical  and  rhetorical  discipline ' ;  his  learning 
was  Rabbinic.  Further,  the  fertility  of  Paul's  mind  and 
the  intensity  of  his  feeling  make  his  style  still  more 
irregular.  He  begins  one  construction,  is  led  aside  by 
a  word,  and  when  he  gets  back  to  his  main  thought  takes 
up  another  construction  (v.  12-14).  A  long  parenthesis 
interrupts  the  regular  flow  of  the  words  (ii.  13,  14). 
Sometimes  words  and  clauses  follow  one  another  without 
any  distinct  grammatical  connexion  (xii.  6-8).  These 
irregularities  prove  a  rapid  and  keen  mind,  not  one  that 
cannot  control  its  thoughts.  As  a  rule  the  style  is 
clear,  sharp,  brief.  A  question  is  quickly  followed  by  its 
answer.  A  quotation  in  a  few  words  finds  its  interpretation. 
Some  elaborate  periods  there  are,  as  the  salutation  (i.  1-7), 
the  intimation  of  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  (iii.  21-26),  the 
statement   of  the   believer's   certainty   (viii.   31-38),   the 


1 


INTRODUCTION  39 

enumeration  of  Israel's  privileges  (ix.  1-5J,  the  description 
of  the  righteousness  of  faith  (x.  6-11),  and  the  doxology 
(xvi.  25-27).  If  in  these  passages  the  style  sometimes 
drags  with  heavy  foot,  in  others  it  soars  on  light  wing. 
The  literary  devices  of  comparison  and  contrast  (Adam 
and  Christ,  Moses  and  Pharaoh,  the  righteousness  of 
works  and  of  faith)  are  not  despised.  The  apostrophe 
is  used  with  great  effect  in  addressing  both  the  Jewish 
sinner  who  claims  exemption  from  judgement  (ii)  and 
the  Jewish  objector  to  the  argument  about  election  (ix). 
Illustrations  are  drawn  from  human  life  (slavery,  marriage, 
law,  government,  warfare,  priestly  service,  potter's  and 
gardener's  work,  sleeping  and  waking)  and  nature  (the 
body  and  its  members,  the  root  and  the  branches,  fruit- 
bearing).  The  style,  however,  was  evidently  never  for 
Paul  an  object  to  be  considered  with  care  and  carried 
out  with  skill.  What  excellence  there  is  in  it  is  due  to  the 
vitality  and  vigour  of  his  intellect ;  its  defects  can  all  be 
traced  to  the  fullness  and  the  force  of  his  thinking,  for 
which  the  language  he  used  was  an  imperfect  instrument. 


40 


COMMENTARIES   ON    ROMANS 

Sanday,  Romans  in  EUicott's  New  Testament  Commentary. 

MouLE,  ,,       in  Cambridge  Bible  for  Schools  and  Colleges. 

Brown,  „       in  Bible-Class  Handbook.     T.  &  T.  Clark. 

GiFFORD,        ,,        in  The  Speaker's  Commentary. 

Barmby.        ,,        in  The  Pulpit  ,, 

Denney,        ,,       in  The  Expositor's  Greek  Testament. 

Sanday  and  Headlam,  Romans  in  The  International  Critical 
Commentary. 

Beet,  Commentary  on  the  Romans. 

Vaughan,        ,,       ,,       .,       ,, 

Meyer,  ,,       ,,   '   „       ,,        .3  vols. 

GODET,  „  ,,  ,,  „  .  ,, 

LiDDON,    Explanatory   Analysis   of  St.    Paul's   Epistle   to   the 
Romans. 

Gore,   A    Practical  Exposition   of  St.   Paul's   Epistle   to  the 
Romans.     2  vols. 

MouLE,  Romans  in  The  Expositor's  Bible. 

MoRisoN,  An  Exposition  of  the  Ninth  Chapter  of  Paul's  Epistle 
to  the  Romans. 

MoRisoN,  A  Critical  Exposition  of  the  Third  Chapter  of  Paul's 
Epistle  to  the  Romans. 

MoRisoN,  A  Practical  Exposition  of  Romans  VI :    St.  Paul's 
Teaching  on  Sanctificatioti. 

Rutherford,  St.   Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Romans.     A   New 
Translation  with  a  Brief  Analysis. 


CONTENTS   OF   THE   EPISTLE 


EPISTOLARY  INTBODUCTIOHT.     i.  1-17. 

I.   The  Apostolic  Salutation  (1-7). 
II.   Personal  Explanations  (8-17). 

TEE  DOCTSIITAL  EXPOSITION,     i.  18— zi.  36. 

I.  The  Doctrine  of  Justification,     i.  18 — v.  21. 

(i)  Righteousness  hitherto  unattained  (i.  18 — iii.  20). 

(2)  Righteousness  provided  in  Christ  (iii.  21-31). 

(3)  Righteousness  by  faith  consistent  with  law  (iv). 

(4)  The  blissful  eflfects  of  righteousness  (v.  i-ii). 
^5)  Christ  more  to  the  race  than  Adam  ;i2-2i). 

II.  The  Doctrine  of  Sanctification.     vi — viii. 

(i)  Faith  as  union  with  Christ  (vi,  1-14% 

(2)  The  service  of  sin  and  of  righteousness  (15-23). 

(3)  Release  from  authority  of  law  (vii.  1-6]. 

(4)  The  powerlessness  of  the  law  (7-25). 

(5)  The  course  of  the  Christian  life  (viii^. 

III.  The  Doctrine  of  Election,     ix — xi. 

(i)  God's  absolute  freedom  (ix.  1-29). 

(2)  The  Jews'  failure  through  unbelief  (ix.  30 — x.  21). 

(3)  God's  final  purpose  of  mercy  on  all  (xi). 

THE  FBACTICAI.  APPLICATION,     xii.  1— xv.  13. 
I.  General  Principles  of  Christian  Life.     xii.  i— xiii.  14. 

(i)  Christian  life  as  a  sacrifice  (xii.  I,  2). 

(2)  The  ministry  of  spiritual  gifts  (3-8). 

(3)  The  law  of  love  in  its  manifold  applications  (^9-21). 

(4)  The  Christian's  duty  to  the  State  (xiii.  1-7;. 
1^5)  Love  as  the  fulfilment  of  all  law  (8-10). 

{6)  The  nearness  of  Christ's  Second  Coming  <xi-i4). 


42  CONTENTS  OF  THE  EPISTLE 

XI.  Special  Applications  to  the  Church  in  Some. 

xiv.  I — XV.  13. 

EPISTOLARY  COSTCLUSION.     xv.  14— xvi.  27. 

I.  The  Motive  of  the  Epistle  (xv.  14-21). 

II.  Paul's  Plans  of  Travel  ;  22-29). 

III.  Introduction  for  Phoebe    xvi,  i,  2). 

IV.  Personal  Greetings  ,3-16). 

V.  Warning  against  False  Teachers  (17-20). 

VI,  Greetings  from  Paul's  Companions  (21-23). 

VII.  The  Concluding  Doxology  (25-27). 


THE  EPISTLE  OF  PAUL  THE  APOSTLE 


ROMANS 


AUTHORIZED  VERSION 


THE  EPISTLE  OF  PAUL  THE  APOSTLE 

TO    THE 

ROMANS  chap.i 


1  Paul,  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  called  to  be  an  Epistolary 

2  apostle,  separated  unto  the  gospel  of  God,  (which  tion° 

he  had  promised  afore  by  his  prophets  in  the  holy  The  apos- 

3  scriptures,)  concerning  his  Son  Jesus  Christ  our  tationf "' 
Lord,  which  was   made  of  the  seed  of  David  ac- 

4  cording  to  the  flesh ;  and  declared  to  be  the  Son 
of  God  with   power,  according  to   the   spirit  of 

5  holiness,  by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead  :  by 
whom  we  have  received  grace  and  apostleship,  for 
obedience  to  the  faith  among  all  nations,  for  his 

6  name ;    among   whom  are  ye  also  the  called  of 

7  Jesus  Christ :  to  all  that  be  in  Rome,  beloved  of 
God,  called  to  be  saints  :  Grace  to  you  and  peace 
from  God  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

8  First,  I  thank  my  God  through  Jesus  Christ  for  Personal 
you  all,  that  your  faith  is  spoken  of  throughout  the  tionsT^ 

9  whole  world.  For  God  is  my  witness,  whom  I 
serve  with  my  spirit  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son,  that 
without  ceasing  I  make  mention  of  you  always  in 

10  my  prayers ;  making  request,  if  by  any  means  now 
at  length  I  might  have  a  prosperous  journey  by  the 

11  will  of  God  to  come  unto  you.     For  1  long  to  see 


46  ROMANS 

Chap.  1    you,  that  I  may  impart  unto  you  some  spiritual 

gift,  to  the  end  ye  may  be  established  ;   that  is,  12 
that  I  may  be  comforted  together  with  you  by  the 
mutual  faith  both  of  you  and  me.     Now  I  would  13 
not  have  you  ignorant,  brethren,  that  oftentimes 
I  purposed  to  come  unto  you,  (but  was  let  hitherto,) 
that  I  might  have  some  fruit  among  you  also,  even 
as  among  other  Gentiles.     I  am  debtor  both  to  14 
the  Greeks,  and  to  the  Barbarians;  both  to  the 
wise,  and  to  the  unwise.     So,  as  much  as  in  me  is,  15 
I  am  ready  to  preach  the  gospel  to  you  that  are 
at  Rome  also.     For  I  am   not  ashamed  of  the  16 
gospel  of  Christ :  for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth ;  to  the  Jew 
first,  and  also  to  the  Greek. 

For  therein  is  the  righteousness  of  God  revealed  17 
from  faith  to  faith :  as  it  is  written.  The  just  shall 
The  live  by  faith.    For  the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from  tS 

exposuion.  heaven  against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness 
The  doc-     of  men,  who  hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness  ; 
^ustifica-         Because  that  which  may  be  known  of  God  is  19 
tion.  manifest  in  them ;  for  God  hath  shewed  //  unto 

Righteous-  them.     For  the  invisible  things  of  him  from  the  20 

ness  ° 

hitherto     creation  of  the  world  are  clearly  seen,  being  under- 
attained,    stood  by  the  things  that  are  made,  even  his  eternal 
The  sin      power   and   Godhead;   so  that  they  are  without 
oVntiies.    excuse  :  because  that,  when  they  knew  God,  they  21 
glorified  him  not  as  God,  neither  were  thankful ; 
but  became  vain  in  their  imaginations,  and  their 
foolish  heart  was  darkened.     Professing  themselves  22 
to  be  wise,  they  became  fools,  and  changed  the  23 
glory  of  the  uncorruptible  God  into  an  image  made 
like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds,  and  fourfooted 


ROMANS  47 

24  beasts,  and  creeping  things.     Wherefore  God  also    Chap.  1 
gave  them  up  to  uncleanness  through  the  lusts  of 

their  own  hearts,  to  dishonour  their  own  bodies 

25  between  themselves  :  who  changed  the  truth  of 
God  into  a  He,  and  worshipped  and  served  the 
creature  more  than  the  Creator,  who  is  blessed  for 

26  ever.  Amen.  For  this  cause  God  gave  them  up 
unto  vile  affections  :  for  even  their  women  did 
change  the  natural  use  into  that  which  is  against 

27  nature :  and  likewise  also  the  men,  leaving  the 
natural  use  of  the  woman,  burned  in  their  lust  one 
toward  another ;  men  with  men  working  that  which 
is  unseemly,  and  receiving  in  themselves  thatrecom- 

28  pence  of  their  error  which  was  meet.  And  even  as 
they  did  not  like  to  retain  God  in  //^^/r  knowledge, 
God  gave  them  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  to  do 

29  those  things  which  are  not  convenient;  being  filled 
with  all  unrighteousness,  fornication,  wickedness, 
covetousness,  maliciousness ;  full  of  envy,  murder, 

30  debate,  deceit,  malignity;  whisperers,  backbiters, 
haters  of  God,  despiteful,  proud,  boasters,  inventors 

31  of  evil  things,  disobedient  to  parents,  without 
understanding,  covenant-breakers,  without  natural 

32  affection,  implacable,  unmerciful :  who  knowing 
the  judgment  of  God,  that  they  which  commit 
such  things  are  worthy  of  death,  not  only  do  the 
same,  but  have  pleasure  in  them  that  do  them. 

2       Therefore  thou  art  inexcusable,  O  man,  whoso-  God's 
ever  thou  art  that  judgest :  for  wherein  thou  judgest  "udge"^^ 
another,  thou  condemnest  thyself;  for  thou  that  °^®"'* 

2  judgest  doest  the  same  things.     But  we  are  sure 
that  the  judgment  of  God  is  according  to  truth 

3  against  them   which    commit   such  things.      And 


48  ROMANS 

Chap.  2    thinkest  thou  this,  O  man,  that  judgest  them  which 
do  such  things,  and  doest  the  same,  that  thou  shalt 
escape  the  judgment  of  God  ?     Or  despisest  thou    4 
the  riches  of  his  goodness  and  forbearance  and 
longsuffering ;   not  knowing  that  the  goodness  of 
God  leadeth  thee  to  repentance?    But  after  thy    5 
hardness  and  impenitent  heart  treasurest  up  unto 
thyself  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath  and  revela- 
tion  of  the   righteous   judgment   of  God ;   who    6 
will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  deeds  : 
to  them  who  by  patient  continuance  in  well  doing    7 
seek  for  glory  and  honour  and  immortality,  eternal 
life :  but  unto  them  that  are  contentious,  and  do     8 
not  obey  the  truth,  but  obey  unrighteousness,  in- 
dignation and  wrath,  tribulation  and  anguish,  upon    9 
every  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil,  of  the  Jew  first, 
and  also  of  the  Gentile ;  but  glory,  honour,  and  10 
peace,  to  every  man  that  worketh  good,  to  the  Jew 
first,  and   also   to  the  Gentile:    for  there   is   no  n 
respect  of  persons  with  God.     For  as  many  as  have  12 
sinned  without  law  shall  also  perish  without  law: 
and  as  many  as  have  sinned  in  the  law  shall  be 
judged  by  the  law ;  (for  not  the  hearers  of  the  law  13 
are  just  before  God,  but  the  doers  of  the  law  shall 
be  justified.     For  when  the  Gentiles,  which  have  14 
not  the  law,  do  by  nature  the  things  contained  in 
the  law,  these,  having  not  the  law,  are  a  law  unto 
themselves  :  which  shew  the  work  of  the  law  written  15 
in  their  hearts,  their  conscience  also  bearing  witness, 
and  their  thoughts  the  mean  while  accusing  or  else 
excusing  one  another;)  in  the  day  when  God  shall  16 
judge  the  secrets  of  men  by  Jesus  Christ  according 
to  my  gospel. 


ROMANS  49 

17  Behold,  thou  art  called  a  Jew,  and  restest  in  the    Chap.  2 

18  law,  and  makest  thy  boast  of  God,  and  knowest  ^j^^ 

his  will,  and  approvest  the  things  that  are  more  failure  of 

19  excellent,  being  instructed  out  of  the  law;  and  art     ^  *^^' 
confident  that  thou  thyself  art  a  guide  of  the  blind, 

20  a  light  of  them  which  are  in  darkness,  an  instructor 
of  the  foolish,  a  teacher  of  babes,  which  hast  the 
form  of  knowledge  and  of  the  truth  in  the  law. 

21  Thou  therefore  which  teachest  another,  teachest 
thou  not  thyself  ?  thou  that  preachest  a  man  should 

22  not  steal,  dost  thou  steal  ?  thou  that  say  est  a  man 
should  not  commit  adultery,  dost  thou  commit 
adultery?   thou   that   abhorrest   idols,    dost  thou 

23  commit  sacrilege?  thou  that  makest  thy  boast  of  the 
law,  through  breaking  the  law  dishonourest  thou 

24  God  ?     For  the  name  of  God  is  blasphemed  among 

25  the  Gentiles  through  you,  as  it  is  written.  For 
circumcision  verily  profiteth,  if  thou  keep  the  law : 
but  if  thou  be  a  breaker  of  the  law,  thy  circumcision 

26  is  made  uncircumcision.  Therefore  if  the  uncir- 
cumcision  keep  the  righteousness  of  the  law,  shall 
not  his  uncircumcision  be  counted  for  circumcision? 

27  And  shall  not  uncircumcision  which  is  by  nature, 
if  it  fulfil  the  law,  judge  thee,  who  by  the  letter 

28  and  circumcision  dost  transgress  the  law?  For  he 
is  not  a  Jew,  which  is  one  outwardly;  neither  is 
that  circumcision,  which  is  outward  in  the  flesh  : 

29  but  he  is  a  Jew,  which  is  one  inwardly ;  and  cir- 
cumcision is  that  of  the  heart,  in  the  spirit,  and 
not  in  the  letter ;  whose  praise  is  not  of  men,  but 
of  God. 

3      What  advantage  then  hath  the  Jew  ?   or  what  No  objec- 
2  profit  is  there  of  circumcision  ?     Much  every  way  :  vaUd. 


50  ROMANS 

Chap.  3    chiefly,  because  that  unto  them  were  committed  the 

oracles  of  God.    For  what  if  some  did  not  believe  ?    3 
shall  their  unbelief  make  the  faith  of  God  without 
effect?     God  forbid:    yea,  let  God  be  true,  but    4 
every  man   a   liar;    as   it   is  written,   That  thou 
mightest  be  justified  in  thy  sayings,  and  mightest 
overcome  when  thou  art  judged. 

But     if    our     unrighteousness    commend     the     5 
righteousness   of  God,   what   shall  we   say?      Is 
God  unrighteous  who  taketh  vengeance  ?    (I  speak 
as  a  man)  God  forbid :   for  then  how  shall  God     f^ 
judge  the  world?     For  if  the  truth  of  God  hath     7 
more  abounded  through  my  lie  unto  his  glory ;  why 
yet  am  I  also  judged  as  a  sinner  ?  and  not  rather^     8 
(as  we  be  slanderously  reported,  and  as  some  affirm 
that  we  say,)  Let  us  do  evil,  that  good  may  come  ? 
whose  damnation  is  just. 
The  Scrip-      What  then  ?  are  we  better  tha7i  they  ?    No,  in  no    9 
of  Uie  fact,  wise :  for  we  have  before  proved  both  Jews  and 

Gentiles,  that  they  are  all  under  sin ;  as  it  is  written,   10 
There  is  none  righteous,  no,  not  one  :  there  is  none  n 
that  understandeth,  there  is  none  that  seeketh  after 
God,     They  are  all  gone  out  of  the  way,  they  are  12 
together  become  unprofitable ;  there  is  none  that 
doeth  good,  no,  not  one.     Their  throat  is  an  open  13 
sepulchre;    with   their   tongues    they   have   used 
deceit ;    the  poison  of  asps  is  under  their  lips : 
whose   mouth  is  full  of  cursing  and   bitterness  :  14 
their  feet  are  swift  to  shed  blood  :  destruction  and  i.;,  16 
misery  are  in  their  ways  :    and  the  way  of  peace  17 
have  they  not  known  :    there  is  no  fear  of  God  18 
before  their  eyes.     Now  we  know  that  what  things  19 
soever  the  law  saith,  it  saith  to  them  who  are  under 


ROMANS  51 

the  law  :  that  every  mouth  may  be  stopped,  and  all    Chap.  3 
the  world  may  become  guilty  before  God. 

20  Therefore  by  the  deeds  of  the  law  there  shall  no 
flesh  be  justified  in  his  sight :  for  by  the  law  is  the 

21  knowledge  of  sin.     But  now  the  righteousness  of  Righteous- 
God  without  the  law  is  manifested,  being  witnessed  provided 

22  by  the  law  and  the  prophets;  even  the  righteousness  ^  Christ, 
of  God  2vhtch  is  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  unto  all 

and  upon  all  them  that  believe:   for  there  is  no 

23  difference  :    for  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of 

24  the  glory  of  God ;  being  justified  freely  by  his  grace 
through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus  : 

25  whom  God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through 
faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare  his  righteousness  for 
the  remission  of  sins  that  are  past,  through  the 

36  forbearance  of  God;  to  declare,  I  say,  at  this  time 
his  righteousness :  that  he  might  be  just,  and  the 
justifier  of  him  which  believeth  in  Jesus. 

37  Where  is  boasting  then?  It  is  excluded.  By 
what  law  ?    of  works  ?     Nay :    but  by  the  law  of 

28  faith.  Therefore  we  conclude  that  a  man  is 
justified  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law. 

29  Is  he  the  God  of  the  Jews  only  ?  is  he  not  also 

30  of  the  Gentiles  ?  Yes,  of  the  Gentiles  also  :  seeing 
it  is  one  God,  which  shall  justify  the  circumcision 
by  faith,  and  uncircumcision  through  faith. 

31  Do  we  then  make  void  the  law  through  faith? 

4  God  forbid  :  yea,  we  establish  the  law.     What  shall  Righteous 
we  say  then  that  Abraham  our  father,  as  pertaining  conS^ent 

2  to  the  flesh,  hath  found  ?     For  if  Abraham  were  ''^^^  ^^"^• 
justified  by  works,  he  hath  whereof  to  glory  ;  but  ^an?s  ac- 

3  not  before  God.      For  what  saith  the  scripture  ?  ceptancc 
Abraham  believed  God,  and  it  was  counted  unto  faith. 

£  2 


52  ROMANS 

Chap.  4    him  for  righteousness.     Now  to  him  that  worketh    4 
is  the  reward  not  reckoned  of  grace,  but  of  debt. 
But  to  him  that  worketh  not,  but  beheveth  on  him     5 
that  justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  counted  for 
righteousness. 

Even  as  David  also  describeth  the  blessedness    6 
of  the  man,  unto  whom  God  imputeth  righteousness 
without   works,   sayings    Blessed   are   they  whose     7 
iniquities  are  forgiven,  and  whose  sins  are  covered. 
Blessed  is  the  man  to  whom  the  Lord  will  not    8 
impute  sin. 
Abra-  Cometh  this  blessedness  then  upon  the  circum-    9 

ceptance     cision  only^  or  upon  the  uncircumcision  also?  for 
prior  to      ^^,g  ^j^^j-  f^jj-j^  ^yj^g  reckoned  to  Abraham  for 

his  cir-  ■'  ,  1  J  ->      1 

cumcision.  righteousness.     How  was  it  then  reckoned?  when  10 
he  was  in  circumcision,  or  in  uncircumcision  ?    Not 
in  circumcision,  but  in  uncircumcision.     And  he  n 
received  the  sign  of  circumcision,  a  seal  of  the 
righteousness  of  the  faith  which  he  had  yet  being 
uncircumcised :  that  he  might  be  the  father  of  all 
them  that  believe,  though  they  be  not  circumcised ; 
that  righteousness  might  be  imputed  unto  them 
also:  and  the  father  of  circumcision  to  them  who  12 
are  not  of  the  circumcision  only,  but  who  also  walk 
in  the  steps  of  that  faith  of  our  father  Abraham, 
which  he  had  being  yet  uncircumcised. 
Abra-  For  the  promise,  that  he  should  be  the  heir  of  13 

ceptance    the  world,  was  not  to  Abraham,  or  to  his  seed, 
m^w.""^  through  the  law,  but  through  the  righteousness  of 

faith.     For  if  they  which  are  of  the  law  be  heirs,   14 
faith  is  made  void,  and  the  promise  made  of  none 
effect :  because  the  law  worketh  wrath  :  for  where  15 
no  law  is,  there  is  no  transgression.     Therefore  //  is  16 


ROMANS  53 

of  faith,  that  //  inight  be  by  grace  ;  to  the  end  the    Chap.  4 
promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the  seed ;  not  to  that 
only  which  is  of  the  law,  but  to  that  also  which  is 
of  the  faith  of  Abraham  ;  who  is  the  father  of  us 

17  all,  (as  it  is  written,  I  have  made  thee  a  father  of 
many  nations,)  before  him  whom  he  believed,  evefi 
God,  who  quickeneth  the  dead,  and  calleth  those 
things  which  be  not  as  though  they  were. 

18  Who  against  hope  believed  in  hope,  that  he  Abra- 
might  become  the  father  of  many  nations,  according  faiSi^ 
to  that  which  was  spoken,  So  shall  thy  seed  be.  typical. 

19  And  being  not  weak  in  faith,  he  considered  not 
his  own  body  now  dead,  when  he  was  about  an 
hundred  years  old,  neither  yet  the  deadness  of 

20  Sarah's  womb  :  he  staggered  not  at  the  promise 
of  God  through  unbehef;  but  was  strong  in  faith, 

21  giving  glory  to  God;  and  being  fully  persuaded 
that,  what  he  had  promised,  he  was  able  also  to 

22  perform.  And  therefore  it  was  imputed  to  him  for 
righteousness. 

23  Now  it  was  not  written  for  his  sake  alone,  that 

24  it  was  imputed  to  him ;  but  for  us  also,  to  whom 
it  shall  be  imputed,  if  we  beheve  on  him  that 

25  raised  up  Jesus  our  Lord  from  the  dead ;  who  was 
delivered  for  our  offences,  and  was  raised  again  for 
our  justification. 

5       Therefore  being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  The 
3  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  by  whom  effects  of 
also  we  have  access  by  faith  into  this  grace  wherein  "ghteous- 
we  stand,  and  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God.  Descrip- 

3  And  not  only  so^  but  we  glory  in   tribulations  ticn  of  the 
also :   knowing  that  tribulation  worketh  patience  ;  effects. 

4  and  patience,  experience  \  and  experience,  hope  : 


54 


ROMANS 


Chap.  5    and  hope  maketh  not  ashamed ;  because  the  love    5 
of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  which  is  given  unto  us.     For  when  we  were     6 
yet  without  strength,  in  due  time  Christ  died  for 
the  ungodly.      For  scarcely  for  a  righteous  man     7 
will  one  die  :  yet  peradventure  for  a  good  man  some 
would  even  dare  to  die.     But  God  commendeth  his    8 
love  toward  us,  in  that,  while  we  were  yet  sinners, 
Christ  died  for  us.     Much  more  then,  being  now    9 
justified  by  his  blood,  we  shall  be  saved  from  wrath 
through  him.     For  if,  when  we  were  enemies,  we  10 
were  reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son, 
much  more,  being  reconciled,  we  shall  be  saved  by 
his  life. 

And  not  only  so,  but  we  also  joy  in  God  through  1 1 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  we  have  now 
received  the  atonement. 

Wherefore,  as  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  12 
world,  and  death  by  sin  ;  and  so  death  passed  upon 
all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned  :  (for  until  the  law  13 
sin  was  in  the  world :  but  sin  is  not  imputed  when 
there  is  no  law.     Nevertheless  death  reigned  from  14 
Adam  to  Moses,   even  over  them  that  had  not 
sinned  after  the  similitude  of  Adam's  transgression, 
who  is  the  figure  of  him  that  was  to  come.     But  15 
not  as  the  offence,  so  also  t's  the  free  gift.     For  if 
through  the  offence  of  one  many  be  dead,  much 
more  the  grace  of  God,  and  the  gift  by  grace,  w/iic/i 
is  by  one  man,  Jesus  Christ,  hath  abounded  unto 
many.      And  not  as  /V  was  by  one  that  sinned,  16 
so  IS  the  gift :    for  the  judgment  7aas  by  one  to 
condemnation,  but  the  free  gift  is  of  many  offences 
unto  justification.      For  if  by  one  man's  offence  17 


Christ 
more  to 
the  race 
than 
Adam. 


ROMANS  55 

death  reigned  by  one;  much  more  they  which  chap.5 
receive  abundance  of  grace  and  of  the  gift  of 
righteousness  shall  reign  in  life  by  one,  Jesus 
i8  Christ.)  Therefore  as  by  the  offence  of  one 
judgment  came  upon  all  men  to  condemnation; 
even  so  by  the  righteousness  of  one  the  free  gift 

19  came  upon  all  men  unto  justification  of  life.  For 
as  by  one  man's  disobedience  many  were  made 
sinners,  so  by  the  obedience  of  one  shall  many  be 
made  righteous. 

20  Moreover  the  law  entered,  that  the  offence  might 
abound.     But  where  sin  abounded,  grace  did  much 

2 1  more  abound  :  that  as  sin  hath  reigned  unto  death, 
even  so  might  grace  reign  through  righteousness 
unto  eternal  life  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

6      What  shall  we  say  then?     Shall  we  continue  in  Thedoc- 

2  sin,  that  grace  may  abound  ?     God  forbid.     How  sanctmca- 
shall  we,   that  are  dead  to  sin,   live  any  longer  *^°"* 

3  therein?      Know  ye  not,  that  so  many  of  us  as  union  with 
were  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ  were  baptized  into  Christ. 

4  his  death  ?  Therefore  we  are  buried  with  him  by 
baptism  into  death  :  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised 
up  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even 

5  so  we  also  should  walk  in  newness  of  life.  For  if 
we  have  been  planted  together  in  the  likeness  of 
his  death,  we  shall  be  also  in  the  likeness  of  his 

6  resurrection :  knowing  this,  that  our  old  man  is 
crucified  with  him,  that  the  body  of  sin  might  be 
destroyed,  that  henceforth  we  should  not  serve  sin, 

7,8  For  he  that  is  dead  is  freed  from  sin.  Now  if  we 
be  dead  with  Christ,  we  believe  that  we  shall  also 

9  live  with  him  :  knowing  that  Christ  being  raised 
from  the  dead  dieth  no  more  ;  death  hath  no  more 


56  ROMANS 

Chap.  6    dominion  over  him.     For  in  that  he  died,  he  died  lo 
unto  sin  once  :  but  in  that  he  Hveth,  he  Hveth  unto 
God.     Likewise  reckon  ye  also  yourselves  to  be  n 
dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Let  not  sin  therefore  reign  12 
in  your  mortal  body,  that  ye  should  obey  it  in  the 
lusts  thereof.     Neither  yield  ye  your  members  as  i^ 
instruments  of  unrighteousness  unto  sin  :  but  yield 
yourselves  unto  God,  as  those  that  are  alive  from  the 
dead,  and  your  members  as  instruments  of  righteous- 
ness unto  God.     For  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  14 
over   you :    for   ye   are   not   under   the   law,   but 
under  grace. 
Theser-         What  then?   shall  we  sin,  because  we  are  not  15 

vice  of  sin  .  ,,  ,  ,  -,^,,.1., 

and  of        under   the  law,   but   under  grace?     God  forbid. 

ni^!^°"^    Know  ye  not,  that  to  whom  ye  yield  yourselves  16 
servants  to  obey,  his  servants  ye  are  to  whom  ye 
obey ;  whether  of  sin  unto  death,  or  of  obedience 
unto  righteousness?     But  God  be  thanked,  that  ye  17 
were  the  servants  of  sin,  but  ye  have  obeyed  from 
the  heart  that  form  of  doctrine  which  was  delivered 
you.     Being  then  made  free  from  sin,  ye  became  18 
the  servants  of  righteousness.      I  speak  after  the  19 
manner  of  men  because  of  the  infirmity  of  your 
flesh :  for  as  ye  have  yielded  your  members  servants 
to  uncleanness  and  to  iniquity  unto  iniquity  ;  even 
so  now  yield  your  members  servants  to  righteousness 
unto  holiness.     For  when  ye  were  the  servants  of  20 
sin,  ye  were  free  from  righteousness.     What  fruit  21 
had  ye  then  in  those  things  whereof  ye  are  now 
ashamed?    for  the  end  of  those  things  is  death. 
But  now  being  made  free  from  sin,  and  become  22 
servants  to  God,  ye  have  your  fruit  unto  holiness, 


ROMANS  57 

23  and  the  end  everlasting  life.     For  the  wages  of  sin    Chap,  e 
is  death ;  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

7       Know  ye  not,  brethren,  (for  I  speak  to  them  that  Release 
know  the  law,)  how  that  the  law  hath  dominion  authority 

2  over  a  man  as  long  as  he  liveth  ?     For  the  woman  °f  i^^* 
which  hath  an  husband  is  bound  by  the  law  to  her 
husband  so  long  as  he  liveth ;  but  if  the  husband 

be  dead,  she  is  loosed  from  the  law  of  her  husband. 

3  So  then  if,  while  her  husband  liveth,  she  be  married 
to  another  man,  she  shall  be  called  an  adulteress : 
but  if  her  husband  be  dead,  she  is  free  from  that 
law ;  so  that  she  is  no  adulteress,  though  she  be 

4  married  to  another  man.  Wherefore,  my  brethren, 
ye  also  are  become  dead  to  the  law  by  the  body  of 
Christ ;  that  ye  should  be  married  to  another,  eveji 
to  him  who  is  raised  from  the  dead,  that  we  should 

5  bring  forth  fruit  unto  God.  For  when  we  were  in 
the  flesh,  the  motions  of  sins,  which  were  by  the 
law,  did  work  in  our  members  to  bring  forth  fruit 

6  unto  death.  But  now  we  are  delivered  from  the 
law,  that  being  dead  wherein  we  were  held ;  that 
we  should  serve  in  newness  of  spirit,  and  not  in  the 
oldness  of  the  letter. 

7  What  shall  we  say  then  ?  Is  the  law  sin  ?  God  The  power, 
forbid.  Nay,  I  had  not  known  sin,  but  by  the  onTe^Kw. 
law :  for  I  had  not  known  lust,  except  the  law  had 

8  said.  Thou  shalt  not  covet.  But  sin,  taking  occa- 
sion by  the  commandment,  wrought  in  me  all 
manner  of   concupiscence.     For  without  the  law 

9  sin  was  dead.  For  I  was  alive  without  the  law 
once :    but   when   the   commandment   came,    sin 

10  revived,  and    I    died.     And   the   commandment, 


58  ROMANS 

Chap.  7    which  7efas  ordained  to  life,  I  found  fo  be  unto 

death.     For  sin,  taking  occasion  by  the  command-  ii 
ment,  deceived  me,  and  by  it  slew  vie.     Wherefore  12 
the  law  is  holy,  and  the  commandment  holy,  and 
just,  and  good. 

Was  then  that  which  is  good  made  death  unto  13 
me?   God  forbid.      But  sin,  that  it  might  appear 
sin,  working  death  in  me  by  that  which  is  good  ; 
that   sin   by   the   commandment    might    become 
exceeding  sinful.      For  we  know  that  the  law  is  14 
spiritual :  but  I  am  carnal,  sold  under  sin.     For  15 
that  which  I  do  I  allow  not :  for  what  I  would, 
that  do  I  not ;  but  what  I  hate,  that  do  I.      If  1 6 
then  I  do  that  which  I  would  not,  I  consent  unto 
the  law  that  it  is  good.     Now  then  it  is  no  more  17 
I  that  do  it,  but  sin  that  dwelleth  in  me.     For  I  18 
know  that  in  me  (that  is,  in  my  flesh,)  dwelleth  no 
good  thing:  for  to  will  is  present  with  me;  but  ho7a 
to  perform  that  which  is  good  I  find  not.     For  the  19 
good  that  I  would  I  do  not :  but  the  evil  which  I 
would  not,  that  I  do.     Now  if  I  do  that  I  would  20 
not,  it  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but  sin  that  dwelleth 
in  me.     I  find  then  a  law,  that,  when  I  would  do  21 
good,  evil  is  present  with  me.     For  I  delight  in  22 
the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man  :  but  I  see  2?, 
another  law  in  my  members,  warring  against  the 
law  of  my  mind,  and  bringing  me  into  captivity  to 
the   law  of  sin   which   is   in   my  members.      O  24 
wretched  man  that  I  am  !  who  shall  deliver  me 
from  the  body  of  this  death  ?     I  thank  God  through  25 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     So  then  with  the  mind 
I  myself  serve  the  law  of  God  ;  but  with  the  flesh 
the  law  of  sin. 


ROMANS  59 

8       There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation  to  them    Chap.  8 

which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk  not  after  the  The  course 

2  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit.      For  the  law  of  the  chHstian 

Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me  free  life. 

^  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death.     For  what  the  law  J*^?.,, 
**  Spirit's 

could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak  through  the  flesh,  power. 
God  sending  his  own  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful 

4  flesh,  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh  :  that 
the  righteousness  of  the  law  might  be  fulfilled  in 
us,  who   walk  not  after  the  flesh,   but  after  the 

5  Spirit.  For  they  that  are  after  the  flesh  do  mind 
the  things  of  the  flesh  ;  but  they  that  are  after  the 

6  Spirit  the  things  of  the  Spirit.  For  to  be  carnally 
minded  is  death ;  but  to  be  spiritually  minded  is 

7  life  and  peace.  Because  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity 
against  God  :  for  it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God, 

8  neither  indeed  can  be.     So  then  they  that  are  in 

9  the  flesh  cannot  please  God.  But  ye  are  not  in 
the  flesh,  but  in  the  Spirit,  if  so  be  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  dwell  in  you.     Now  if  any  man  have  not 

10  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his.  And  if 
Christ  be  in  you,  the  body  is  dead  because  of  sin ; 
but   the   Spirit   is  life  because  of  righteousness. 

11  But  if  the  Spirit  of  him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from 
the  dead  dwell  in  you,  he  that  raised  up  Christ 
from  the  dead  shall  also  quicken  your  mortal  bodies 

12  by  his   Spirit   that   dwelleth  in   you.     Therefore,  Thebe- 
brethren,  we  are  debtors,  not  to  the  flesh,  to  live  son^and^ 

13  after  the  flesh.     For  if  ye  live  after  the  flesh,  ye  i^eir. 
shall  die :  but  if  ye  through  the  Spirit  do  mortify 

14  the  deeds  of  the  body,  ye  shall  live.  For  as  many 
as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons 

15  of  God.      For  ye  have  not  received  the  spirit  of 


6o 


ROMANS 


Chap.  8  bondage  again  to  fear ;  but  ye  have  received  the 
Spirit  of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father. 
The  Spirit  itself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  i6 
that  we  are  the  children  of  God  :  and  if  children,  17 
then  heirs;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with 
Christ ;  if  so  be  that  we  suffer  with  him^  that  we 
may  be  also  glorified  together. 

For  I  reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present  18 
time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory 
which  shall  be  revealed  in  us.      For  the  earnest  19 
expectation  of  the  creature  waiteth  for  the  mani- 
festation of  the  sons  of  God.     For  the  creature  20 
was  made  subject  to  vanity,  not  willingly,  but  by 
reason  of  him  who  hath  subjected  the  sa?ne  in  hope, 
because  the  creature  itself  also  shall  be  delivered  21 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God.     For  we  know  that  22 
the  whole  creation  groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain 
together  until  now.     And  not  only  they,  but  our-  23 
selves  also,  which  have  the  firstfruits  of  the  Spirit, 
even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves,  waiting 
for  the  adoption,  to  ivit^  the  redemption  of  our 
body.     For  we  are  saved  by  hope  :  but  hope  that  24 
is  seen  is  not  hope :  for  what  a  man  seeth,  why  doth 
he  yet  hope  for?     But  if  we  hope  for  that  we  see  25 
not,  the7i  do  we  with  patience  wait  for  it.     Likewise  26 
the  Spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmities  :  for  we  know 
not  what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought :  but  the 
Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groanings 
which  cannot  be  uttered.     And  he  that  searcheth  27 
the  hearts  knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of  the  Spirit, 
because   he   maketh    intercession   for    the   saints 
according  to  the  luill  of  God.     And  we  know  that  28 


ROMANS  6i 

all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love    Chap.  8 
(jod,  to  them  who  are  the  called  according  to  his 

29  purpose.  For  whom  he  did  foreknow,  he  also  did 
predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his 
Son,  that  he  might  be  the  firstborn  among  many 

30  brethren.  Moreover  whom  he  did  predestinate, 
them  he  also  called :  and  whom  he  called,  them 
he  also  justified  :  and  whom  he  justified,  them  he 

31  also  glorified.     What  shall  we  then  say  to  these  The  assur- 
things  ?     If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us  ?  faith. 

32  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him 
up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with  him  also  freely 

33  give  us  all  things  ?  Who  shall  lay  any  thing  to  the 
charge  of  God's  elect?    It  is  God  that  justifieth. 

34  Who  is  he  that  condemneth?  //  is  Christ  that 
died,  yea  rather,  that  is  risen  again,  who  is  even  at 
the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession 

35  for  us.  Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
Christ  ?  shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution, 

36  or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword  ?  As  it 
is  written.  For  thy  sake  we  are  killed  all  the  day 
long ;  we  are  accounted  as  sheep  for  the  slaughter. 

37  Nay,  in  all  these  things  we  are  more  than  conquerors 

38  through  him  that  loved  us.  For  I  am  persuaded, 
that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  princi- 
palities, nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things 

39  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other 
creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love 
of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

9       I  say  the  truth  in  Christ,  I  lie  not,  my  conscience  The  doc 

2  also  bearing  me  witness  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  election. 
I  have  great  heaviness  and  continual  sorrow  in  my  God's 

3  heart.     For  I  could  wish  that  myself  were  accursed  freedom. 


62 


ROMANS 


Chap.  9 

The 

Apostle's 
patrio- 
tism. 


God's 
uncon- 
ditional 
election. 


God's 
claim  of 
freedom. 


from  Christ  for  my  brethren,  my  kinsmen  according 
to  the  flesh  :  who  are  Israelites ;  to  \ihom per faineth  4 
the  adoption,  and  the  glory,  and  the  covenants,  and 
the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the  service  of  God^  and 
the  promises  ;  whose  are  the  fathers,  and  of  whom  = 
as  concerning  the  flesh  Christ  came^  who  is  over  all, 
God  blessed  for  ever.     Amen. 

Not  as  though  the  word  of  God  hath  taken  none    6 
effect.  For  they  are  not  all  Israel,  which  are  of  Israel: 
neither,  because  they  are  the  seed  of  Abraham,  are    *] 
they  all  children :  but.  In  Isaac  shall  thy  seed  be 
called.     That  is,  They  which  are  the  children  of    8 
the  flesh,  these  are  not  the  children  of  God :  but 
the  children  of  the  promise  are  counted  for  the 
seed.     For  this  is  the  word  of  promise.  At  this  time    9 
will  I  come,  and  Sarah  shall  have  a  son.     And  not  10 
only  this ;  but  when  Rebecca  also  had  conceived 
by  one,  even  by  our  father  Isaac ;  (for  the  children  1 1 
being  not  yet  born,  neither  having  done  any  good  or 
evil,  that  the  purpose  of  God  according  to  election 
might  stand,  not  of  works,  but  of  him  that  calleth;) 
it  was  said  unto  her,  The  elder  shall  serve  the  12 
younger.     As  it  is  written,  Jacob  have  I  loved,  but  13 
Esau  have  I  hated. 

What  shall  we  say  then?    Is  there  unrighteous-  14 
ness  with  God?      God  forbid.      For  he  saith  to  15 
Moses,  I  will  have  mercy  on  whom  I  will  have 
mercy,  and  I  will  have  compassion  on  whom  I  will 
have  compassion.     So  then  //  is  not  of  him  that  16 
willeth,  nor  of  him  that  runneth,  but  of  God  that 
sheweth   mercy.      For    the   scripture   saith    unto  17 
Pharaoh,  Even  for  this  same  purpose  have  I  raised 
thee  up,  that  I  might   shew  my  power  in  thee, 


ROMANS  63 

and  that  my  name  might  be  declared  throughout    Chap.  9 

18  all  the  earth.  Therefore  hath  he  mercy  on 
whom  he  will  have  mercy^  and  whom  he  will  he 
hardeneth. 

19  Thou  wilt  say  then  unto  me,  Why  doth  he  yet  The 

20  find  fault?  For  who  hath  resisted  his  will?  Nay  ^^cfth^ 
but,  O  man,  who  art  thou  that  repliest  against  God  ?  Creator. 
Shall  the  thing  formed  say  to  him  that  formed  //, 

21  Why  hast  thou  made  me  thus  ?  Hath  not  the 
potter  power  over  the  clay,  of  the  same  lump  to 
make  one  vessel  unto  honour,  and  another  unto 

22  dishonour?  What  if  God,  willing  to  shew  his 
wrath,  and  to  make  his  power  known,  endured  with 
much  longsuffering  the  vessels  of  wrath  fitted  to 

23  destruction  :  and  that  he  might  make  known  the 
riches  of  his  glory  on  the  vessels  of  mercy,  which 

24  he  had  afore  prepared  unto  glory,  even  us,  whom 
he  hath  called,  not  of  the  Jews  only,  but  also  of 
the  Gentiles  ? 

25  As  he  saith  also  in  Osee,  I  will  call  them  my 
people,  which  were  not  my  people;  and  her  beloved, 

36  which  was  not  beloved.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
that  in  the  place  where  it  was  said  unto  them.  Ye 
are  not  my  people  ;  there  shall  they  be  called  the 

27  children  of  the  living  God.  Esaias  also  crieth 
concerning  Israel,  Though  the  number  of  the 
children   of  Israel   be   as   the   sand   of  the   sea, 

28  a  remnant  shall  be  saved  :  for  he  will  finish  the 
work,  and  cut  it  short  in  righteousness :  because 
a  short  work  will  the  Lord  make  upon  the  earth. 

29  And  as  Esaias  said  before,  Except  the  Lord  of 
Sabaoth  had  left  us  a  seed,  we  had  been  as  Sodoma, 
and  been  made  like  unto  Gomorrha. 


M 


ROMANS 


Chap. 9        What  shall  we  say  then?     That  the  Gentiles,  30 
which  followed  not  after  righteousness,  have  attained 
to  righteousness,  even  the  righteousness  which  is 
of  faith.     But  Israel,  which  followed  after  the  law  31 
of  righteousness,  hath  not  attained  to  the  law  of 
righteousness.    Wherefore  ?    Because  ^/ley  sought  it  32 
not  by  faith,  but  as  it  were  by  the  works  of  the  law. 
For  they  stumbled  at  that  stumblingstone ;  as  it  is  33 
written,  Behold,  I  lay  in  Sion  a  stumblingstone  and 
rock  of  offence :  and  whosoever  believeth  on  him 
shall  not  be  ashamed.     Brethren,  my  heart's  desire  10 
and  prayer  to  God  for  Israel  is,  that  they  might  be 
saved.     For  I  bear  them  record  that  they  have    2 
a  zeal  of  God,  but  not  according  to  knowledge. 
For  they  being  ignorant  of  God's  righteousness,  and    3 
going  about  to  establish  their  own  righteousness, 
have  not  submitted  themselves  unto  the  righteous- 
ness of  God.     For  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law  for    4 
righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth.      For    5 
Moses  describeth  the  righteousness  which  is  of  the 
law,  That  the  man  which  doeth  those  things  shall 
live  by  them.     But  the  righteousness  which  is  of    6 
faith  speaketh  on  this  wise,  Say  not  in  thine  heart. 
Who  shall  ascend  into  heaven  ?  (that  is,  to  bring 
Christ  down  from  above :)  or.  Who  shall  descend     7 
into  the  deep?  (that  is,  to  bring  up  Christ  again 
from  the  dead.)     But  what  saith  it?     The  word  is    8 
nigh  thee,  even  in  thy  mouth,  and  in  thy  heart :  that 
is,  the  word  of  faith,  which  we  preach  ;  that  if  thou     9 
shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God  hath  raised 
him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved.     For  with  10 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness;  and 


ROMANS  65 

with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation.    Chap.  10 

1 1  For  the  scripture  saith,  Whosoever  beheveth  on  him 

1 2  shall  not  be  ashamed.  For  there  is  no  difference 
between  the  Jew  and  the  Greek  :  for  the  same  Lord 

13  over  all  is  rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  him.  For 
whosoever  shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord 
shall  be  saved. 

14  How  then  shall  they  call  on  him  in  whom  they  The  jews 
have  not  believed  ?  and  how  shall  they  believe  in  ^JSiut^ 
him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard  ?  and  how  shall  excuse. 

1 5  they  hear  without  a  preacher  ?  and  how  shall  they 
preach,  except  they  be  sent  ?  as  it  is  written,  How 
beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them  that  preach  the  gospel 
of  peace,  and  bring  glad  tidings  of  good  things ! 

16  But  they  have  not  all  obeyed  the  gospel.  For 
Esaias  saith,  Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report  ? 

17  So  then  faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the 

18  word  of  God.  But  I  say,  Have  they  not  heard? 
Yes  verily,  their  sound  went  into  all  the  earth,  and 

19  their  words  unto  the  ends  of  the  world.  But  I  say. 
Did  not  Israel  know?  First  Moses  saith,  I  will 
provoke  you  to  jealousy  by  them  that  are  no  people, 

20  afid  by  a  foolish  nation  I  will  anger  you.  But 
Esaias  is  very  bold,  and  saith,  I  was  found  of  them 
that  sought  me  not ;    I  was  made  manifest  unto 

21  them  that  asked  not  after  me.  But  to  Israel  he 
saith,  All  day  long  I  have  stretched  forth  my  hands 
unto  a  disobedient  and  gainsaying  people. 

11      I  say  then.  Hath  God  cast  away  his  people  ?  God»s  final 
God  forbid.      For  I  also  am  an  Israelite,  of  the  STercy^''  °' 
2  seed  of  Abraham,  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.     God  ^^  *"• 
hath  not  cast  away  his  people  which  he  foreknew. 
Wot  ye  not  what  the  scripture  saith  of  Elias  ?  how 


66  ROMANS 

Chap.  11  he  maketh  intercession  to  God  against  Israel,  saying, 

Thrreiec-  ^^^^^  ^^^Y  ^^^^  killed  thy  prophets,  and  digged    3 

tion  only  down   thine   altars;    and   I   am    left   alone,   and 

pa  la .  ^j^^y  g^^j^  ^y  j.^^      g^^  ^j^^^  ^^.^j^  ^^^  answer  of    4 

God  unto  him  ?     I  have  reserved  to  myself  seven 
thousand  men,  who  have  not  bowed  the  knee  to 
t/ie  image  of  Baal.     Even  so  then  at  this  present    5 
time  also  there  is  a  remnant  according  to  the 
election  of  grace.     And  if  by  grace,  then  is  it  no    6 
more  of  works  :  otherwise  grace  is  no  more  grace. 
But  if  /'/  be  of  works,  then  is  it  no  more  grace: 
otherwise  work  is  no  more  work.      What  then  ?    7 
Israel  hath  not  obtained  that  which  he  seeketh  for ; 
but  the  election  hath  obtained  it,  and  the  rest  were 
blinded  (according  as  it  is  written,  God  hath  given    8 
them  the  spirit  of  slumber,  eyes  that  they  should 
not  see,  and  ears  that  they  should  not  hear;)  unto 
this  day.     And  David  saith,  Let  their  table  be    9 
made  a  snare,  and  a  trap,  and  a  stumblingblock, 
and  a  recompence  unto  them :    let  their  eyes  be  10 
darkened,  that  they  may  not  see,  and  bow  down 
their  back  alway. 
The  rejec-       I  say  then.  Have  they  stumbled  that  they  should  11 
porary.      fall  ?     God  forbid :    but  rathei-  through  their  fall 
salvation  is  come  unto  the  Gentiles,  for  to  provoke 
them  to  jealousy.     Now  if  the  fall  of  them  be  the  12 
riches  of  the  world,  and  the  diminishing  of  them 
the  riches  of  the  Gentiles ;  how  much  more  their 
fulness?    For  I  speak  to  you  Gentiles,  inasmuch  13 
as  I  am  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  I  magnify  mine 
office  :  if  by  any  means  I  may  provoke  to  emulation  14 
them  which  are  my  flesh,  and  might  save  some  of 
them.      For  if  the  casting  away  of  them  be  the  15 


ROMANS  67 

reconciling  of  the  world,  what  shall  the  receiving    chap.  11 
of  them  be,  but  life  from  the  dead  ?  " 

16  For  if  the  firstfruit  de  holy,  the  lump  is  also  holy :  The  root 

1 7  and  if  the  root  be  holy,  so  are  the  branches.     And  b^iches. 
if  some  of  the  branches  be  broken  off,  and  thou, 

being  a  wild  olive  tree,  wert  graffed  in  among  them, 
and  with  them  partakest  of  the  root  and  fatness  of 

18  the  olive  tree;  boast  not  against  the  branches. 
But  if  thou  boast,  thou  bearest  not  the  root,  but 

19  the  root  thee.     Thou  wilt  say  then,  The  branches 

20  were  broken  off,  that  I  might  be  graffed  in.  Well; 
because  of  unbelief  they  were  broken  off,  and  thou 
standest  by  faith.     Be  not  highminded,  but  fear : 

21  for  if  God  spared  not  the  natural  branches,  lake 

22  heed  lest  he  also  spare  not  thee.  Behold  therefore 
the  goodness  and  severity  of  God  :  on  them  which 
fell,  severity ;  but  toward  thee,  goodness,  if  thou 
continue  in  his  goodness  :  otherwise  thou  also  shalt 

23  be  cut  off.  And  they  also,  if  they  abide  not  still 
in  unbelief,  shall  be  graffed  in  :  for  God  is  able  to 

24  graff  them  in  again.  For  if  thou  wert  cut  out  of 
the  olive  tree  which  is  wild  by  nature,  and  wert 
graffed  contrary  to  nature  into  a  good  olive  tree : 
how  much  more  shall  these,  which  be  the  natural 

35  branches,  be  graffed  into  their  own  olive  tree?     For  God's 
I  would  not,  brethren,  that  ye  should  be  ignorant  purpose, 
of  this  mystery,  lest  ye  should  be  wise  in  your  own 
conceits;   that  blindness  in  part  is  happened  to 
Israel,  until  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come 

26  in.  And  so  all  Israel  shall  be  saved :  as  it  is 
written.  There  shall  come  out  of  Sion  the  Deliverer, 

27  and  shall  turn  away  ungodliness  from  Jacob :  for 
this  is  my  covenant  unto  them,  when  I  shall  take 

F  2 


68  ROMANS 

Chap.  11  away  their  sins.     As  concerning  the  gospel,  they  28 
are  enemies  for  your  sakes :  but  as  touching  the 
election,  they  are  beloved  for  the  fathers'  sakes. 
For   the   gifts   and   calling   of   God   are   without  29 
repentance.     For  as  ye  in  times  past  have  not  be-  30 
lieved  God,  yet  have  now  obtained  mercy  through 
their  unbelief:  even  so  have  these  also  now  not  31 
believed,  that  through  your  mercy  they  also  may 
obtain  mercy.     For  God  hath  concluded  them  all  32 
in  unbelief,  that  he  might  have  mercy  upon  all. 

0  the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  33 
and  knowledge  of  God  !  how  unsearchable  are  his 
judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out !     For  34 
who  hath  known  the  mind  of  the  Lord  ?  or  who 
hath  been  his  counsellor  ?  or  who  hath  first  given  35 
to  him,  and  it  shall  be  recompensed  unto  him 
again?     For  of  him,  and  through  him,  and  to    36 
him,  are  all  things :   to  whom  be  glory  for  ever. 
Amen. 

1  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  12 
mercies  of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living 
sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  ivhich  is  your 
reasonable  service.  And  be  not  conformed  to  this  2 
world  :  but  be  ye  transformed  by  the  renewing  of 
your  mind,  that  ye  may  prove  what  is  that  good, 
and  acceptable,  and  perfect,  will  of  God. 

The  For  I  say,  through  the  grace  given  unto  me,  to    3 

ministry  of  .  i  •    i       /•  7  •         7  /• 

spiritual     every  man  that  is  among  you,  not  to  think  of  himself 
gifts.  more  highly  than  he  ought  to  think ;  but  to  think 

soberly,   according   as  God   hath   dealt   to  every 
man  the  measure  of  faith.     For  as  we  have  many    4 
members  in  one  body,  and  all  members  have  not 
the  same  office  :  so  we,  being  many,  are  one  body    5 


ROMANS  69 

in  Christ,  and  every  one  members  one  of  another.    Chap.  12 

6  Having  then  gifts  differing  according  to  the  grace 
that  is  given  to  us,  whether  prophecy,  let  us  prophesy 

7  according  to  the  proportion  of  faith  \  or  ministry, 
let  us  wait  on  our  ministering  :  or  he  that  teacheth, 

8  on  teaching ;  or  he  that  exhorteth,  on  exhortation  : 
he  that  giveth,  let  him  do  it  with  simplicity;  he 
that  ruleth,  with  dihgence ;  he  that  sheweth  mercy, 
with  cheerfulness. 

9  Let  love  be  without  dissimulation.     Abhor  that  The  law  of 

10  which  is  evil ;  cleave  to  that  which  is  good.     Be  manifold 
kindly  affectioned  one  to  another  with  brotherly  ^^^^^' 

11  love;  in  honour  preferring  one  another;  not 
slothful  in  business ;  fervent  in  spirit ;  serving  the 

12  Lord;    rejoicing  in  hope;    patient  in  tribulation; 

13  continuing  instant  in  prayer;    distributing  to  the 

14  necessity  of  saints ;  given  to  hospitality.  Bless 
them  which  persecute  you :  bless,  and  curse  not. 

15  Rejoice  with  them  that  do  rejoice,  and  weep  with 

16  them  that  weep.  Be  of  the  same  mind  one  toward 
another.  Mind  not  high  things,  but  condescend 
to  men  of  low  estate.     Be  not  wise  in  your  own 

17  conceits.  Recompense  to  no  man  evil  for  evil. 
Provide  things  honest  in  the  sight  of  all  men. 

18  If  it  be  possible,  as  much  as  heth  in  you,  Hve 

19  peaceably  with  all  men.  Dearly  beloved,  avenge 
not  yourselves,  but  rather  give  place  unto  wrath  : 
for  it  is  written.  Vengeance  is  mine ;  I  will  repay, 

30  saith  the  Lord.  Therefore  if  thine  enemy  hunger, 
feed  him ;  if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink :  for  in  so 
doing  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire  on  his  head. 

21  Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with 
good. 


70 


ROMANS 


Chap.  13 

The  Chris 
tian's 
dutv  to 
the  State. 


Love  as 
the  fulfil- 
ment of 
all  law. 


The  near- 
ness  of 
Christ's 


Let  every  soul  be  subject  unto  the  higher  powers. 
For  there  is  no  power  but  of  God  :  the  powers  that 
be  are  ordained  of  God.  Whosoever  therefore 
resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  the  ordinance  of 
God :  and  they  that  resist  shall  receive  to  them- 
selves damnation.  For  rulers  are  not  a  terror  to 
good  works,  but  to  the  evil.  Wilt  thou  then  not 
be  afraid  of  the  power?  do  that  which  is  good, 
and  thou  shalt  have  praise  of  the  same :  for  he  is 
the  minister  of  God  to  thee  for  good.  But  if  thou 
do  that  which  is  evil,  be  afraid ;  for  he  beareth  not 
the  sword  in  vain :  for  he  is  the  minister  of  God, 
a  revenger  to  execute  wrath  upon  him  that  doeth 
evil.  Wherefore  ye  must  needs  be  subject,  not 
only  for  wrath,  but  also  for  conscience  sake.  For 
for  this  cause  pay  ye  tribute  also :  for  they  are 
God's  ministers,  attending  continually  upon  this 
very  thing.  Render  therefore  to  all  their  dues : 
tribute  to  whom  tribute  is  due ;  custom  to  whom 
custom;  fear  to  whom  fear;  honour  to  whom 
honour. 

Owe  no  man  any  thing,  but  to  love  one  another  : 
for  he  that  loveth  another  hath  fulfilled  the  law. 
For  this.  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery.  Thou 
shalt  not  kill,  Thou  shalt  not  steal,  Thou  shalt  not 
bear  false  witness.  Thou  shalt  not  covet;  and  if 
iJiere  be  any  other  commandment,  it  is  briefly 
comprehended  in  this  saying,  namely,  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself.  Love  worketh  no 
ill  to  his  neighbour :  therefore  love  is  the  fulfilling 
of  the  law. 

And  that,  knowing  the  time,  that  now  //  is  high 
time  to  awake  out  of  sleep :  for  now  is  our  salva- 


ROMANS  71 

[2  tion  nearer  than  when  we  beheved.     The  night  is  chap.  13 
far  spent,  the  day  is  at  hand  :  let  us  therefore  cast  second 
off  the  works  of  darkness,  and  let  us  put  on  the  Coming. 

13  armour  of  light.  Let  us  walk  honestly,  as  in  the 
day ;  not  in  rioting  and  drunkenness,  not  in  cham- 
bering and  wantonness,  not  in  strife  and  envying. 

14  But  put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  make 
not  provision  for  the  flesh,  to  fulfil  the  lusts 
thereof. 

14      Him  that  is  weak  in  the  faith  receive  ye,  but  not  special 

2  to  doubtful  disputations.     For  one  believeth  that  hons'tothe 
he  may  eat  all  things  :  another,  who  is  weak,  eateth  church  in 

3  herbs.  Let  not  him  that  eateth  despise  him  that 
eateth  not;  and  let  not  him  which  eateth  not 
judge  him   that  eateth :    for  God  hath  received 

4  him.  Who  art  thou  that  judgest  another  man's 
servant?  to  his  own  master  he  standeth  or  falleth. 
Yea,  he  shall  be  holden  up :  for  God  is  able  to 

5  make  him  stand.  One  man  esteemeth  one  day 
above  another  :  another  esteemeth  every  day  alike. 
Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind. 

6  He  that  regardeth  the  day,  regardeth  it  unto  the 
Lord ;  and  he  that  regardeth  not  the  day,  to  the 
Lord  he  doth  not  regard  it.  He  that  eateth,  eateth 
to  the  Lord,  for  he  giveth  God  thanks;  and  he 
that  eateth  not,  to  the  Lord  he  eateth  not,  and 

7  giveth  God  thanks.     For  none  of  us  liveth  to  him- 

8  self,  and  no  man  dieth  to  himself.  For  whether 
we  live,  we  live  unto  the  Lord ;  and  whether  we 
die,  we  die  unto  the  Lord :  whether  we  live  there- 

9  fore,  or  die,  we  are  the  Lord's.  For  to  this  end 
Christ  both  died,  and  rose,  and  revived,  that  he 

10  might  be  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  living.     But 


72  ROMANS 

Chap.  14  why  dost  thou  judge  thy  brother?    or  why  dost 
thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother?    for  we  shall  all 
stand  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ.     For  it  ii 
is  written,  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  every  knee 
shall  bow  to  me,  and  every  tongue  shall  confess  to 
God.     So  then  every  one  of  us  shall  give  account  12 
of  himself  to  God.    Let  us  not  therefore  judge  one  13 
another  any  more :  but  judge  this  rather,  that  no 
man  put  a  stumblingblock  or  an  occasion  to  fall 
in  h's  brother's  way.     I  know,  and  am  persuaded  14 
by  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  ^kere  is  nothing  unclean  of 
itself:   but  to  him  that  esteemeth  any  thing  to  be 
unclean,  to  him  //  is  unclean.     But  if  thy  brother  15 
be  grieved  with  ^/iv  meat,  now  walkest  thou  not 
charitably.     Destroy  not  him  with  thy  meat,  for 
whom  Christ  died.     Let  not  then  your  good  be  16 
evil  spoken  of:   for  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  17 
meat  and  drink;    but  righteousness,  and  peace, 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.     For  he  that  in  these  18 
things  serveth  Christ  is  acceptable  to  God,  and 
approved  of  men.     Let  us  therefore  follow  after  19 
the  things  which  make  for  peace,  and  things  where- 
with one  may  edify  another.     For  meat  destroy  20 
not  the  work  of  God.    All  things  indeed  are  pure ; 
but  if  is  evil  for  that  man  who  eateth  with  offence. 
//  IS  good  neither  to  eat  flesh,  nor  to  drink  wine,  21 
nor  any  thing  whereby  thy  brother  stumbleth,  or 
is  offended,  or  is  made  weak.     Hast  thou  faith?  22 
have  it  to  thyself  before  God.     Happy  is  he  that 
condemneth  not  himself  in  that  thing  which   he 
alloweth.     And  he  that  doubteth  is  damned  if  he  23 
eat,  because  lie  eateth  not  of  faith  :  for  whatsoever 
is  not  of  faith  is  sin.     We  then  that  are  strong  15 


ROMANS  73 

ought  to  bear  the  infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  not   Chap.  15 

2  to  please  ourselves.     Let  every  one  of  us  please  Theunity 

3  his  neighbour  for   his  ejood  to  edification.     For  of  the 

X    '        1         ,  ,  •       ir     1  •     •    church- 

even   Christ   pleased   not  himself ;    but,  as  it  is  Christ's 

written,  The  reproaches  of  them  that  reproached  and^God's 

4  thee   fell   on   me.     For   whatsoever   things   were  purpose, 
written  aforetime  were  written  for  our  learning, 

that  we  through  patience  and  comfort  of  the  scrip- 

5  tures  might  have  hope.  Now  the  God  of  patience 
and  consolation  grant  you  to  be  likeminded  one 

6  toward  another  according  to  Christ  Jesus  :  that  ye 
may  with  one  mind  and  one  mouth  glorify  God, 

7  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Where- 
fore receive  ye  one  another,  as  Christ  also  received 

8  us  to  the  glory  of  God.  Now  I  say  that  Jesus 
Christ  was  a  minister  of  the  circumcision  for  the 
truth  of  God,  to  confirm  the  promises  viade  unto 

9  the  fathers  :  and  that  the  Gentiles  might  glorify 
God  for  his  mercy ;  as  it  is  written,  For  this  cause 
I  will  confess  to  thee  among  the  Gentiles,  and  sing 

10  unto  thy  name.     And  again  he  saith.  Rejoice,  ye 

11  Gentiles,  with  his  people.  And  again.  Praise  the 
Lord,  all  ye  Gentiles ;  and  laud  him,  all  ye  people. 

12  And  again,  Esaias  saith,  There  shall  be  a  root  of 
Jesse,  and  he  that  shall  rise   to  reign  over  the 

13  Gentiles ;  in  him  shall  the  Gentiles  trust.  Now 
the  God  of  hope  fill  you  with  all  joy  and  peace  in 
believing,  that  ye  may  abound  in  hope,  through  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

14  And  I  myself  also  am  persuaded  of  you,  my  Epistolary 
brethren,  that  ye  also  are  full  of  goodness,  filled  sk>n. " 
with  all  knowledge,  able   also  to  admonish  one 

15  another.     Nevertheless,  brethren,  I    have   written 


74 


ROMANS 


Chap.  15   the  more  boldly  unto  you  in  some  sort,  as  putting 
you  in  mind,  because  of  the  grace  that  is  given  to 
me  of  God,  that  I  should  be  the  minister  of  Jesus  i6 
Christ  to  the  Gentiles,  ministering  the  gospel  of 
God,  that  the  offering  up  of  the  Gentiles  might  be 
acceptable,  being  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
I  have  therefore  whereof  I  may  glory  through  Jesus  17 
Christ  in  those  things  which  pertain  to  God.     For  18 
I  will  not  dare  to  speak  of  any  of  those  things 
which  Christ  hath  not  wrought  by  me,  to  make 
the  Gentiles  obedient,  by  word  and  deed,  through  19 
mighty  signs  and  wonders,  by  the  power  of  the 
Spirit  of  God ;  so  that  from  Jerusalem,  and  round 
about  unto  Illyricum,  I  have  fully  preached  the 
gospel  of  Christ.    Yea,  so  have  I  strived  to  preach  20 
the  gospel,  not  where  Christ  was  named,  lest  I 
should  build  upon  another  man's  foundation :   but  21 
as  it  is  written.  To  whom  he  was  not  spoken  of, 
they  shall  see  :  and  they  that  have  not  heard  shall 
understand.     For  which  cause  also  I  have  been  22 
much  hindered  from  coming  to  you.     But  now  23 
having  no  more  place  in  these  parts,  and  having  a 
great  desire  these  many  years  to  come  unto  you ; 
whensoever  I  take  my  journey  into  Spain,  I  will  24 
come  to  you :  for  I  trust  to  see  you  in  my  journey, 
and  to  be  brought  on  my  way  thitherward  by  you, 
if  first  I  be  somewhat  filled  with  your  co^npany. 
But  now  I  go  unto  Jerusalem  to  minister  unto  the  25 
saints.     For  it  hath  pleased  them  of  Macedonia  26 
and  Achaia  to  make  a  certain  contribution  for  the 
poor  saints   which   are  at    Jerusalem.      It    hath  27 
pleased  them  verily ;  and  their  debtors  they  are. 
For  if  the  Gentiles  have  been  made  partakers  of 


ROMANS  75 

their  spiritual  things,  their  duty  is  also  to  minister  Chap.  15 

28  unto  them  in  carnal  things.  When  therefore  I 
have  performed  this,  and  have  sealed  to  them  this 

29  fruit,  I  will  come  by  you  into  Spain.  And  I  am 
sure  that,  when  I  come  unto  you,  I  shall  come  in 
the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

30  Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Request 
Christ's  sake,  and  for  the  love  of  the  Spirit,  that  ye  ^^^'P^^ye^- 
strive  together  with  me  in  your  prayers  to  God  for 

31  me ;  that  I  may  be  delivered  from  them  that  do  not 
believe  in  Judaea  ;  and  that  my  service  which  I  have 

32  for  Jerusalem  may  be  accepted  of  the  saints ;  that  I 
may  come  unto  you  with  joy  by  the  will  of  God, 

33  and  may  with  you  be  refreshed.  Now  the  God  of 
peace  be  with  you  all.    Amen. 

18      I  commend  unto  you  Phebe  our  sister,  which  is  introduc- 

2  a  servant  of  the  church  which  is  at  Cenchrea :  that  pJebe.^ 
ye  receive  her  in  the  Lord,  as  becometh  saints,  and 

that  ye  assist  her  in  whatsoever  business  she  hath 
need  of  you :    for  she  hath  been  a  succourer  of 

3  many,  and  of  myself  also.     Greet  Priscilla   and  Personal 

4  Aquila  my  helpers  in  Christ  Jesus :  who  have  for  ^®®^^ss. 
my  life  laid  down  their  own  necks :  unto  whom 

not  only  I  give  thanks,  but  also  all  the  churches  of 

5  the  Gentiles.  Likewise  greet  the  church  that  is  in 
their   house.     Salute   my  wellbeloved   Epaenetus, 

6  who  is  the  firstfruits  of  Achaia  unto  Christ.    Greet 

7  Mary,  who  bestowed  much  labour  on  us.  Salute 
Andronicus  and  Junia,  my  kinsmen,  and  my  fellow- 
prisoners,  who  are  of  note  among  the  apostles,  who 

8  also  were  in  Christ  before  me.    Greet  Amplias  my 

9  beloved  in  the  Lord.     Salute  Urbane,  our  helper 
lo  in  Christ,  and  Stachys  my  beloved.    Salute  Apelles 


76 


ROMANS 


13 


approved  in  Christ.     Salute   them  which  are   of 
Aristobulus'  household.     Salute  Herodion  my  kins- 
man.    Greet   them  that   be  of  the  household  of 
Narcissus,  which  are  in  the  Lord.     Salute  Try- 
phena  and  Tryphosa,  who  labour   in    the   Lord. 
Salute  the  beloved  Persis,  which  laboured  much 
in  the  Lord.     Salute  Rufus  chosen  in  the  Lord, 
and   his   mother   and   mine.     Salute   Asyncritus,  14 
Phlegon,    Hermas,    Patrobas,    Hermes,   and    the 
brethren  which  are  with  them.     Salute  Philologus,  15 
and  Julia,  Nereus,  and  his  sister,  and  Olympas, 
and  all  the  saints  which  are  with  them.     Salute  16 
one  another  with  an  holy  kiss.     The  churches  of 
Christ  salute  you. 

Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  mark  them  which  17 
cause    divisions    and    offences    contrary    to    the 
doctrine  which  ye  have  learned ;  and  avoid  them. 
For  they  that  are  such  serve  not  our  Lord  Jesus  18 
Christ,  but  their  own  belly ;  and  by  good  words 
and  fair  speeches  deceive  the  hearts  of  the  simple. 
For  your  obedience  is  come  abroad  unto  all  men.  19 
I  am  glad  therefore  on  your  behalf:    but  yet  I 
would  have  you  wise  unto  that  which  is  good,  and 
simple  concerning  evil.     And  the  God  of  peace  20 
shall  bruise  Satan  under  your  feet  shortly.     The 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you.  Amen. 

Timotheus  my  workfellow,  and  Lucius,  and  21 
Jason,  and  Sosipater,  my  kinsmen,  salute  you.  I  22 
Tertius,  who  wrote  this  epistle,  salute  you  in  the 
Lord.  Gaius  mine  host,  and  of  the  whole  church,  23 
saluteth  you.  Erastus  the  chamberlain  of  the  city 
saluteth  you,  and  Quartus  a  brother.  The  grace  24 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all.    Amen. 


ROMANS  77 

25  Now  to  him  that  is  of  power  to  stablish  you   Chap.  16 
according  to  my  gospel,  and  the  preaching  of  Jesus  The  con- 
Christ,  according  to  the  revelation  of  the  mystery,  eluding 

26  which  was  kept  secret  since  the  world  began,  but 
now  is  made  manifest,  and  by  the  scriptures  of  the 
prophets,  according  to  the  commandment  of  the 
everlasting  God,  made  known  to  all  nations  for 

2  7  the  obedience  of  faith  :  to  God  only  wise,  be  glory 
through  Jesus  Christ  for  ever.    Amen. 

Written  to  the  Romans  from  Corinthus,  and  sent 
by  Phebe  servant  of  the  church  at  Cenchrea. 


THE  EPISTLE  OF  PAUL  THE  APOSTLE 


ROMANS 


REVISED  VERSION  WITH  ANNOTATIONS 


THE  EPISTLE  OF  PAUL  THE  APOSTLE 

TO   THE 

ROMANS 

Paul,  a  servant  of  Jesus  Christ,  called  to  be  an  apostle,  1 

Epistolary  Introduction,  i.  1-17. 
While  in  its  general  character  the  Epistle  is  a  treatise  as  well 
as  a  letter,  yet  the  Introduction  (i.  T-17)  and  the  Conclusion  (xv. 
14 — xvi.  27)  are  both  epistolary  in  character,  and  deal  with  the 
personal  relations  of  the  writer  and  his  readers.  The  Introduction 
falls  into  two  parts,  the  apostolic  salutation  i^i.  1-7)  and  personal 
explanations  (8-17). 

I.  i.  1-7.    The  apostolic  salutation. 

In  this  passage  Paul  describes  himself,  his  gospel,  his  Lord,  and 
the  persons  whom  he  is  addressing,  and  sends  the  appropriate 
Christian  greeting,  (i)  He  himself  has  received  grace,  has  been 
called  as  an  apostle,  has  been  separated  unto  the  gospel  for  the 
Gentiles,  and  has  become  a  bond  slave  of  Jesus  Christ.  (2)  His 
gospel  has  been  promised  in  prophecy,  is  concerned  with  the  Son 
of  God,  and  claims  submissive  acceptance.  (3)  His  Lord  was 
a  descendant  of  David,  was  marked  out  as  Divine  by  the  Spirit  of 
Holiness,  was  in  a  supernatural  mode  installed  Son  of  God  as 
a  result  of  his  resurrection,  and  is  associated  with  the  Father  as 
the  source  of  spiritual  blessing.  (4)  His  readers  belong  to  Christ, 
are  beloved  of  God,  and  are  destined  for  holiness.  (5)  His 
salutation  combines  the  Greek  and  the  Hebrew  greetings,  but 
with  the  fuller  meaning  that  Christian  faith  gives  to  both  terms. 
This  salutation  is  remarkable  for  its  developed  theology.  The 
credentialsof  an  apostle,  the  characteristics  of  the  Christian  Church, 
the  relation  of  the  old  and  the  new  religion,  the  divinity  of  Christ, 
the  unity  of  Father  and  Son  in  the  Godhead,  are  indicated. 

1.  Paul.  This  name  was  probably  borne  by  the  Apostle  from 
his  birth  as  well  as  his  other  name  Saul,  as  Jews  living  abroad 
often  had  both  a  Greek  or  Latin  and  a  Jewish  name.  Although 
the  book  of  Acts  calls  him  Saul  until  the  visit  to  the  proconsul 


82  TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  2,  3 

2  separated  unto  the  gospel  of  God,  which  he  promised 

3  afore  by  his  prophets  in  the  holy  scriptures,  concerning 

Sergius  Paulus,  at  Paphos  in  Cyprus  (Acts  xiii.  9, '  Saul,  who  is  also 
called  Paul ')  ;  yet  it  is  improbable  that  Paul  adopted  this  as  a  new 
name  in  compliment  to  the  proconsul.  The  beginning  of  his 
distinctive  work  as  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  was  an  appropriate 
occasion  for  the  disuse  of  his  Jewish  and  the  adoption  of  his 
Gentile  name. 

servant :  Gr. '  bondservant.'  The  English  word  'servant'  gives 
the  sense  correctly,  as  all  the  degrading  associations  of  slavery 
are  absent  in  this  relation.  The  term  expresses  purchase  by 
Christ  (i  Cor.  vi.  19,  20)  and  self-surrender  by  Paul  (vi.  18,  19). 
The  O.  T.  applies  the  term  to  prophets  (Amos  iii.  7  ;  Jer.  vii.  25  ; 
Dan.  ix.  6  ;  Ezra  ix.  11),  in  whose  succession  Paul  thus  puts 
himself ;  but  the  name  of  Christ  without  any  explanation  takes 
the  place  of  the  name  of  Jehovah. 

called:  as  Abraham  (Gen.  xii.  1-3),  Moses  (Exod.  iii.  10), 
Isaiah  (vi.  8,  9),  and  Jeremiah  (i.  4,  5). 

apostle :  lit.  '  one  sent,'  is  used  in  wider  and  narrower  sense 
in  N.  T.  :  in  wider  sense  it  includes  personal  disciples  of  Jesus, 
and  witnesses  of  his  resurrection,  as  Barnabas  (Acts  xiv.  14) ;  in 
narrower  sense  it  is  applied  only  to  the  Twelve,  and  is  claimed  by 
Paul  for  himself  as  equal  with  and  independent  of  the  Twelve 
(Gal.  ii.  i-io)  ;  for  he  had  seen  Jesus  not  only  with  the  bodily  eye 
(i  Cor.  ix.  i)  but  also  by  spiritual  vision  (2  Cor.  iii.  18,  iv.  6),  had 
received  a  Divine  call  (i  Cor.  i.  i,  17;  Gal.  i.  i),  had  been  con- 
firmed in  his  vocation  by  success  (i  Cor.  ix.  2,  xvi.  lo),  had  shewn 
the  signs  of  an  apostle  (2  Cor.  xii.  12),  had  sealed  his  apostleship 
by  his  sufferings  (Gal.  vi.  17  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  4-10),  and  had  received  his 
message  from  God  (Gal.  i.  11,  12).  Not  vanity  or  ambition,  but 
devotion  to,  and  zeal  for,  his  gospel  of  free  grace  and  Gentile 
liberty  led  Paul  to  contend  so  earnestly  for  the  recognition  of  his 
apostleship. 

separated:  (i)  in  God's  purpose  (Gal.  i.  15,  16),  (2)  at  his 
conversion  (Acts  ix.  15),  (3)  by  the  appointment  of  the  church  at 
Antioch  (Acts  xiii.  2). 

erospel  of  God.  Probably  Jesus  so  described  his  announce- 
ment of  the  arrival  of  the  Messianic  time  as  'good  news*  (Matt. 
iv.  23 ;  Mark  i.  14,  15).  Paul  uses  the  term  sixty  times  ;  some- 
times his  phrase  is  '  gospel  of  God,'  and  at  others  *  gospel  of 
Christ' ;  but  the  connexion  of  the  terms  is  better  taken  generally 
than  as  defining  particularly  God  as  the  author  or  Christ  as  the 
content  of  good  news. 

2.  promised.      The   times   of  Jesus  were   marked   by  eager 
expectancy,   and   the  Christian   preachers  of  the   earliest   days 


TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  4  83 

his  Son,  who  was  bom  of  the  seed  of  David  according 
to  the  flesh,  who  was  declared  to  be  the  son  of  God  with  4 


sought  to  commend  the  gospel  as  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy 
or  God's  promise  (Matt.  v.  17  ;  Luke  iv.  21  ;  Acts  ii.  14,  iii.  22, 
xxvi.  6 ;  Rom.  iv.  13,  xv.  8). 

prophets :  used  in  wider  sense  for  all  the  O.  T.  writers,  as  in 
Heb.  i.  I. 

holy  scriptures :  probably  the  first  known  use  of  the  phrase, 
although  a  collection  of  authoritative  writings  is  already  recognized 
in  the  Prologue  to  Ecclesiasticus  about  130  b.  c.  The  writings 
are  called  '  holy'  because  belonging  to  God  in  origin  and  contents. 
3.  was  born :  ///.  'became,'  in  contrast  to  what,  as  Son  of  God, 
he  eternally  is. 

the  seed  of  David.  Matthew  (i.  17,  21)  and  Luke  (iii.  23) 
both  trace  the  descent  of  Joseph  from  David.  The  Pharisees' 
answer  to  Jesus'  question  (Matt.  xxii.  41-45)  shews  what  the 
popular  expectation  was.  Jesus  himself  suggests  a  difficulty 
about  their  answer,  and  does  not  base  his  claims  on  the  fact  of 
his  Davidic  descent,  nor  uses  of  himself  the  term  'son  of  David.* 
This  fact  is  mentioned  as  part  of  P?urs  gospel  (2  Tim.  ii.  8),  and 
is  appealed  to  as  evidence  in  Peter's  speech  at  Pentecost  (Acts  ii. 
3o\  In  the  Revelation  Christ  is  described  as  *  the  root  and  the 
offspring  of  David  '  (xxii.  16).  The  mention  of  the  fact  here  may 
be  due  to  Paul's  desire  to  conciliate,  as  far  as  he  can,  Jewish 
feeling  (cf.  ix.  5). 

accordinsT  to  the  flesh  means  either  '■  as  regards  the  body ' 
or  '  in  his  human  nature,'  as  we  take  the  contrasted  phrase 
'  according  to  the  Spirit '  to  refer  to  the  spiritual  or  the  Divine 
nature  of  Jesus,  without  any  intention  cf  denying  that  he  had 
a  human  spirit  as  well  as  body.  Paul  probably  uses  '  flesh '  here 
as  that  which  is  characteristic  of  humanity,  as  distinguished  from 
God  as  Spirit,  to  describe  the  manhood  generally ;  for  Paul  cannot 
be  regarded  as  limiting  Christ's  connexion  with  the  human  race  to 
his  body  (for  fuller  treatment  of  the  term  'flesh'  see  note  on 
vii.  18). 

4.  declared:  Gr.  'determined.'  The  Greek  word  means 
either  '  designated  '  or  '  ordained  *  (Acts  x.  42,  xvii.  31) ;  but 
Paul's  meaning  cannot  be  decided  by  the  sense  of  one  term.  As 
Paul  taught  the  pre-existence  of  Christ  as  Divine  (2  Cor.  iv.  4, 
viii.  9  ;  Col.  i.  15-19),  he  cannot  mean  that  Christ  became  Son  of 
God  at  his  resurrection  ;  yet,  as  he  regarded  the  Incarnation 
itself  as  an  act  of  self-humiliation  by  Christ,  so  he  represented 
the  Resurrection  as  an  exaltation  of  Christ  by  God  (Phil.  ii.  5-1 1). 
We  must  take  the  words  rather  in  the  second  sense,  but  must 
understand,  not  an  assumption  of  Divine  nature  at  the  Resurrec- 

G  2 


84  TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  5 

power,  according  to  the  spirit  of  holiness,  by  the  resurrec- 
5  tion  of  the  dead ;  even  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  through 

tion,  but  the  entrance  by  Christ  into  the  full  possession  and  free 
exercise  of  the  dignity  and  authority,  not  merely  which  belonged 
to  him  as  pre-existent  '  in  the  form  of  God,'  but  which  was  con- 
ferred on  him  as  Son  of  God  as  the  reward  of  his  obedience  unto 
death.  We  empty  Paul's  argument  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Philip- 
pians  of  its  distinctive  significance,  as  well  as  this  passage  here  of 
its  more  probable  meaning,  if  we  assume  that  Christ's  exaltation 
at  his  resurrection  was  merely  a  return  to  his  pre-existent  state. 

son  of  God.  So  declared  at  his  Baptism  (Matt.  iii.  17)  and 
Transfiguration  (xvii.  5',  in  Peter's  confession  (xvi.  i6),  and  by 
his  Resurrection  (Acts  xiii.  32,  33),  Although  a  recognized  title 
of  the  Messiah  (Ps.  ii.  7),  the  term  did  not  connote  divinity  as 
understood  by  the  Jews.  Seldom  used  by  Christ  himself,  it  was 
soon  adopted  by  the  church  to  express  the  transcendent  element 
in  his  person  (Mark  i.  i)  ;  and  its  application  to  him  was  dis- 
tinguished from  all  other  uses  by  such  distinctive  epithets  as 
'only  begotten'  (John  iii.  16),  'very  son'  (Rom.  viii.  32),  'his 
own '  (viii.  3). 

with  power  can  be  taken  either  with  '  Son  of  God,'  con- 
trasting the  manifest  might  of  the  risen  Christ  with  the  weakness 
of  his  Passion  (2  Cor.  xiii.  4),  or  with  '  declared '  (the  more  prob- 
able connexion),  referring  to  the  miraculousness  of  the  Resurrection 
(i  Cor.  XV.  43). 

according'  to  the  spirit  of  holiness.  There  are  two  impor- 
tant questions  here :  [a)  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  '  the  spirit  of 
holiness,'  (6)  the  sense  of  the  term  'according  to.'  (a)  This 
phrase  may  mean  (i)  the  Holy  Spirit,  (2)  the  human  spirit  of 
Jesus  as  distinguished  by  its  unique  holiness,  (3)  the  Divine 
nature  as  contrasted  with  the  human,  which  has  been  described 
by  the  term  '  the  flesh.'  As  the  contrast  is  between  the  flesh  and 
spirit  in  the  same  person,  the  first  explanation  is  excluded.  Again, 
as  the  contrast  is  between  descent  from  David  and  origin  in  God, 
the  second  explanation  would  involve  that  only  the  body  of  Christ 
vvas  derived  from  humanity,  and  the  spirit  was  wholly  due  to 
his  divinity ;  but  this  is  not  likely  to  have  been  Paul's  meaning. 
The  third  explanation  then  seems  best.  The  Divine  nature  of 
Christ  is  described,  first  by  the  metaphysical  peculiarity  of 
deity,  '  spirit,'  and  secondly  by  the  ethical  perfection,  *  holiness.' 
Paul  does  not  mean  to  deny  a  human  spirit  as  well  as  a  human 
body  to  Jesus  ;  but  '  flesh '  and  '  spirit '  express  what  is  character- 
istic of  man  and  God  in  distinction  from  one  another;  for  flesh 
not  only  describes  man's  material  organism,  but  imphes  also  his 
moral  character.     He  is  neither  infinite  spirit  nor  absolute  perfec- 


TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  5  85 

whom  we  received  grace  and  apostleship,  unto  obedience 
of  faith  among  all  the  nations,  for   his   name's   sake: 

tion  as  God  is.  The  stress  in  the  phrase  is  not  so  much  on  '  spirit ' 
as  on  '  holiness.'  Christ,  for  Paul,  was  marked  out  as  Divine, 
because  he  'knew  no  sin'  (2  Cor.  v.  21)  ;  he  had  emptied  himself 
of  all  else  that  would  shew  him  as  God.  \b)  On  this  interpretation 
of  the  phrase,  the  term  '  according  to '  means  *  in  respect  of ;  but 
if  the  first  meaning  of  the  phrase  were  accepted,  varied  inter- 
pretations might  be  given.  The  term  'according  to'  might  refer 
to  the  agency  of  the  Spirit  in  the  Incarnation,  or  the  Resurrection, 
or  the  prophetic  utterances  fulfilled  in  Christ ;  but  there  is  no 
need  of  deciding  this  question,  as  the  reference  to  the  Holy  Spirit 
seems  quite  out  of  question. 

by  the  resurrection  of  the  dead :  lit.  '  out  of  the  resurrection 
of  dead  persons.*  A  remarkable  phrase  as  applied  to  Christ,  whose 
rising  again  was  a  solitary  event  ;  but  probably  the  phrase  had 
become  almost  a  compound  word,  as  Christ's  was  not  regarded 
as  an  isolated  case,  but  the  promise  and  the  type  of  an  event 
anticipated  by  all  believers  (Col.  i.  i8).  The  declaration  of  the 
Sonship  of  Jesus  was  a  result  of  his  resurrection. 

Jesus  Christ  our  Iiord.  The  personal  name  'Jesus'  (the 
Greek  form  of  Joshua,  meaning  'Jehovah  the  Saviour'),  and  the 
official  title  'Christ'  (ihe  literal  Greek  translation  of.  Hebrew 
'  Messiah,'  'Anointed  '),  which  soon  came  to  be  used  as  a  personal 
name,  are  here  joined  with  the  phrase  '  our  Lord,'  which  ascribes 
divinity.  Although  in  the  O.  T.  Lord  was  used  for  Jehovah,  yet 
the  term  was  also  applied  to  the  Messiah  without  ascribing  divinity; 
but  in  the  N.  T.  it  always  implies  divinity,  and  expresses  Christ's 
Lordship,  primarily  over  his  church  (Col.  i.  i8),  but  secondarily 
over  all  creation  (Col.  i.  16,  17).  This  is  the  name  which  is  above 
every  name,  'which  Jesus  obtained  not  by  self-assertion,  but  by 
self-humiliation' (Phil.  ii.  10,  11). 

5.  grace  has  a  great  variety  of  meanings:  (i)  as  a  quality 
of  any  object,  it  means  '  sweetness '  or  '  charm '  (Luke  iv.  22, 
'words  of  grace');  (2)  as  the  feeling  of  a  person,  it  is  the 
'favour'  or  'goodwill'  which  a  supericr  shews  an  inferior; 
(3)  as  transferred  from  man  to  God,  it  is  used  either  generally 
(Gen.  vi.  8 ;  Luke  ii.  40)  or  in  contrast  with  '  debt '  (Rom.  iv.  4) 
or  'works'  (xi.  6),  as  goodness  undeserved  which  cannot  be 
claimed  as  a  right ;  (4)  as  extended  from  '  cause  '  to  '  effect,'  it  ex- 
presses either  the  Christian's  state  of  favour  or  goodwill  from  God 
(v.  2),  or  a  spiritual  gift  (Acts  vi.  8) ;  (5)  as  a  still  more  remote 
effect,  it  may  even  mean  the  gratitude  called  out  by  unmerited 
goodness,  or  even  simply  'thanks'  (i  Cor,  x.  30).  Here  it 
means  the  Christian  state  generally,  as  Paul  first  acknowledges 


86  TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  6,  7 

6  among  whom  are  ye  also,  called  to  be  Jesus  Christ's : 

7  to  all  that  are  in  Rome,  beloved  of  God,  called  to  he 
saints  :  Grace  to  you  and  peace  from  God  our  Father 
and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


what  he  shares  in  common  with  all  believers  before  claiming 
what  is  his  distinctive  gift — apostlesMp,  "onto  obedience  of 
faith,  not  *  to  the  faith '  (marg.).  Faith  does  not  here  mean 
a  creed  claiming  acceptance,  but  the  act  of  trustful  welcome  of 
the  gospel,  which  implies,  by  an  effort  of  will,  the  submission 
of  man  to  God.  As  obedience  to  '  the  heavenly  vision '  was  the 
beginning  of  Paul's  apostleship,  so  it  was  intended  to  be  the  result. 

among'  all  the  nations :  better  '  among  all  the  Gentiles,'  for 
the  former  phrase  would  include  the  Jews  as  well,  and  there 
would  be  no  reason  for  mentioning  that  the  Romans  were  among 
the  nations  ;  whereas  the  latter  phrase  puts  the  Romans  among  the 
Gentiles,  of  whom  Paul  claimed  to  be  the  apostle,  and  so  explains 
his  reason  for  addressing  them. 

for  Ms  name's  sake  :  to  commend  and  confirm  the  revelation 
(name  =  revelation)  God  was  giving  of  Himself  in  Christ. 

6.  called  to  be  Jesus  Christ's.  The  Divine  call  embraces  all 
believers,  and  its  aim  is  to  secure  them  for  Christ  as  his  possession 
(Titus  ii.  14,  '  a  people  for  his  own  possession ').  Chaps,  ix-xi.  deal 
with  the  problem  of  God's  call, 

7.  in  »ome  :  omitted  by  one  MS.,  which  changes  'beloved  of 
God '  into  '  in  the  love  of  God.'  Traces  of  a  similar  reading  are 
found  elsewhere.  *  In  Rome  '  is  omitted  by  the  same  MS.  in  verse 
15,  and  a  blank  space  is  found  between  chaps,  xiv.  and  xv.  These 
facts  with  the  fluctuating  position  of  the  Doxology  (xvi.  25-27) 
give  some  countenance  to  the  theory  that  the  Epistle  was,  with  the 
Apostle's  consent,  circulated  as  a  genuine  treatise  with  the  omission 
of  the  personal  matter  at  the  end  ;  but  see  full  discussion  of  this 
question  in  special  note  on  *  The  Integrity  of  the  Epistle,'  It  is 
noteworthy  that  no  church  in  Rome  is  mentioned  ;  possibly  there 
had  not  yet  been  made  even  the  beginnings  of  an  organization. 

beloved  of  Ood :  reconciled  to  God  through  Christ.  This 
thought  is  expounded  fully  in  chaps,  i-v.  Thus  Paul,  in  his 
description  of  the  Roman  believers,  indicates  the  three  subjects  of 
the  doctrinal  exposition — justification,  sanctification,  and  vocation. 

saints,  or  '  holy  persons. '  The  conception  of  holiness  has  an 
interesting  history.  The  first  meaning  was  simply  separation,  and 
the  next  separation  for  the  service  of  God  ;  but  as  this  involved 
freedom  from  flaw  or  blemish,  the  absence  of  defect  or  imperfection 
was  soon  included  in  the  idea.  From  physical  qualities  this 
requirement  was  extended  to  ethical.      Then   entirely  detached 


TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  8  87 

First,  I  thank  my  God  through  Jesus  Christ  for  you  8 

from  its  original  reference  to  the  service  of  God,  the  conception 
was  transferred  to  God  Himself,  as  free  of  all  defects  and  imperfec- 
tion", and  received  always  more  positive  contents,  until  it  included 
all  the  qualities  that  constitute  the  absolute  perfection  of  God. 
This  perfection  of  the  Creator  was  lastly  represented  as  the  ideal 
to  be  realized  in  the  creature.  All  ceremonial  reference  is  left 
behind,  and  the  import  becomes  purely  ethical.  When  Paul 
describes  the  believers  in  Rome  as  holy  persons,  he  does  not 
ascribe  perfection  to  them,  but  he  affirms  this  as  the  Divine 
will  for  them,  which  it  is  their  human  duty  to  fulfil.  In  chaps, 
vi-viii.  he  shews  how  this  can  be  done. 

Grace  .  .  .  and  peace.  The  Greek  and  Hebrew  salutations  are 
combined  with  a  deepened  meaning  ;  '  grace  '  meaning  both  God's 
favour  and  man's  favoured  state;  'peace'  meaning  both  God's 
reconciliation  with  man  and  man's  with  God  ;  the  former  is  the 
more  general  term,  the  latter  describes  one  of  its  effects.  In  the 
Pastoral  Epistles  mercy  is  inserted  between  grace  and  peace  in 
the  apostolic  salutation. 

God  our  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Through 
Christ  God's  Fatherhood  has  been  revealed  and  assured  for  man, 
and  Christ  himself  is  joined  with  God  the  Father  as  the  source  of 
spiritual  blessing.  Here  we  have  the  beginnings  of  a  Doctrine  of 
the  Trinity.  In  r  Cor.  viii.  6  the  Christian  confession  of  God  the 
Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  expressly  opposed  to 
polytheism.  The  apostolic  benediction  in  2  Cor.  xiii.  14,  and 
the  baptismal  formula  of  Matt,  xxviii.  19,  join  the  Spirit  with 
God  and  Christ.  If  we  are  to  make  any  distinction  we  may  say 
that  God  the  Father  is  the  ultimate  source  of  spiritual  blessings, 
while  Christ  is  the  proximate  channel ;  but  Christ  again  acts 
through  the  Spirit. 

II.  i.  8-17.     Personal  explanations. 

After  his  salutation  Paul  deals  with  his  knowledge  of,  his  feelings 
to,  his  wishes  and  plans  regarding,  the  Roman  believers ;  and  in 
giving  a  reason  for  his  desire  to  preach  in  Rome  indicates  the 
subject  of  his  Epistle,  (i)  He  thanks  God  for  the  wide-spread 
fame  of  their  faith,  as  the  position  of  Rome  as  capital  of  the 
empire  gave  a  peculiar  prominence  and  a  special  importance  to 
the  church  there  (verse  8).  (2)  He  assures  them  that  he  not  only 
prays  for  their  general  spiritual  prosperity,  but  offers  a  special 
petition  that  it  might  be  God's  will  to  open  up  the  way  so  that 
he  may  pay  them  a  long-desired  visit  (9,  10).  (3)  He  explains 
the  motive  of  his  desired  visit,  that  they  might  spiritually  benefit 
by  the  gifts  of  God's  grace  bestowed  on  him  ;  but  lest  this  should 
appear  too  presumptuous  a  claim  he  adds,  with  fine  tact,  that  he 


88  TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  9-1 1 

all,  that  your  faith  is  proclaimed  throughout  the  whole 
9  world.     For  God  is  my  witness,  whom  I  serve  in  my 

spirit  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son,  how  unceasingly  I  make 
TO  mention  of  you,  always  in  my  prayers  making  request, 

if  by  any  means  now  at  length  I  may  be  prospered  by 
II  the  will  of  God  to  come  unto  you.     For  I  long  to  see 

you,  that  I  may  impart  unto  you  some  spiritual  gift,  to 

himself  hopes  to  derive  benefit  from  his  intercourse  with  them 
(11,  12).  (4)  He  informs  them  that  an  oft-renewed  purpose  to 
visit  them  has  hitherto  always  met  with  some  hindrance  (13). 

(5)  He  justifies  his  interest  in  them,  because  as  Gentiles  they 
are  included  in  his  sphere  of  labour  as  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  his  intended  visit  is  but  the  discharge  of  a  duty  (14,    15). 

(6)  He  affirms  that  he  does  not  shrink  from  the  discharge  of  that 
duty,  because  he  has  absolute  confidence  in  his  message  (16,  17). 
In  this  passage  Paul  intimate?,  prepares  for,  and  justifies  his 
visit  to  Rome. 

8.  thank :  characteristic  of  Paul  (i  Cor.  i.  4  ;  Eph.  i.  16  ;  Phil. 
i.  3 ;  Col.  i.  3  ;  I  Thess.  i.  2  ;  2  Thess.  i.  3). 

faith:  in  the  most  general  sense  Christian  belief  and  life. 

the  whole  world :  the  Roman  Empire ;  for  whatever  happened 
in  Rome  was  better  known  in  all  the  provinces  than  any  events 
in  the  provinces,  owing  to  the  constant  intercourse  between  the 
capital  and  the  provinces. 

9.  witness.  This  solemn  appeal  is  possibly  due  to  the  calumny 
to  which  he  was  exposed  by  his  opponents. 

serve  :  voluntary  service  of  God  in  sacrifice  or  worship. 
my  spirit :  the  organ  of  service,  as  the  gospel  is  the  sphere 
of  service. 

10.  making*  recLuest.  This  definite  petition  was  always  included 
in  the  general  mention  of  the  Roman  believers. 

Z  may  "be  prospered :  lit.  '  I  may  have  a  good  way.' 
"by  the  will  of  God :  Gr.  '  in  the  will  of  God,'  as  embraced  in 
God's  purpose  for  him.  He  did  not  then  know  that  it  would  be 
as  a  prisoner  that  he  would  come  to  Rome,  although  he  was  at  the 
time  already  uncertain  about  the  results  of  his  visit  to  Jerusalem 
(xv.  30). 

11.  that  I  may  impart  nnto  you  some  spiritual  gift,  (i)  It 
has  been  assumed  that  Paul  intended  to  confer  the  miraculous 
gifts,  such  as  speaking  with  tongues,  prophecy,  &c.,  which, 
according  to  the  account  in  Acts  viii.  14-17,  were  bestowed  by  the 
laying- on  of  the  hands  of  an  apostle  ;  but  in  chap.  xii.  Paul 
assumes  that  the  Roman  Cliristians  already  possessed  some   of 


TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  12-15  89 

the  end  ye  may  be  established;  that  is,  that  I  with  you  12 
may  be  comforted  in  you,  each  of  us  by  the  other's  faith, 
both  yours  and   mine.      And  I  would   not   have  you  13 
ignorant,  brethren,  that  oftentimes  I  purposed  to  come 
unto  you  (and  was  hindered  hitherto),  that  I  might  have 
some  fruit  in  you  also,  even  as  in  the  rest  of  the  Gentiles. 
I  am  debtor  both  to  Greeks  and  to  Barbarians,  both  to  14 
the  wise  and  to  the  foolish.     So,  as  much  as  in  me  is,  15 

these  gifts,  although  he  does  not  therefore  infer  any  previous 
apostolic  ministry  in  Rome.  (2)  It  has  been  maintained  that  Paul 
expected  benefits  of  various  kinds  to  the  Roman  Church  to  flow 
from  his  own  possession  and  exercise  of  these  miraculous  gifts, 
which  he  claimed  to  have  in  an  eminent  degree  (i  Cor.  xiv.  18)  ; 
but  it  is  probable  that  he  did  not  distinguish  as  we  do  the  miraculous 
attestations  from  the  normal  functions  of  his  ministry.  (3) 
Accordingly  it  is  most  probable  that  Paul  uses  the  term  '  spiritual 
gift'  in  a  more  general  sense,  and  is  referring  to  the  advantage 
that  his  instruction  of  and  intercourse  with  them  would  confer — 
confirmation  in  Christian  intelligence  and  character. 

13.  I  wotild  not  have  yon  ignorant:  a  favourite  phrase  (xi. 
25  ;  I  Cor.  X.  I,  xii.  i  ;  2  Cor.  i.  8)  when  he  wants  to  call  special 
attention  to  any  communication. 

oftentimes  I  purposed:  his  plans  were  often  overruled  by 
the  will  of  God  (Acts  xvi.  6,  7). 

frtiit:  results  of  his  ministry. 

Gentiles.  Whatever  the  origin  or  composition  of  the  Roman 
Church  may  have  been,  Paul  regarded  it  as  a  Gentile  church,  and 
so  included  it  in  the  sphere  of  his  apostleship. 

14.  debtor.  His  apostleship  of  the  Gentiles  involved  the 
obligation  to  preach  to  the  Gentiles. 

Greeks  and . . .  Barbarians.  This  was  a  division  of  the  Gentiles 
according  to  speech.  The  Greeks,  and  afterwards  the  Romans, 
who  in  this  division  are  reckoned  among  the  Greeks,  regarded  all 
peoples  speaking  any  language  but  their  own  as  making  unintel- 
ligible sounds — 'bar,  bar,'— hence  the  name.  'Jews  and  Gentiles' 
was  a  division  of  all  mankind  made  by  the  Jews  according  to  religion. 

wise  and . . .  foolish :  a  division  according  to  culture.  While 
philosophy  scorned  the  ignorant  multitude,  and  even  Jewish 
scribes  regarded  the  people  that  knew  not  tlie  law  as  accursed, 
the  gospel  had  a  message  for  all,  and  would  seem  at  first  to  have 
found  readiest  welcome  among  the  lowly  (i  Cor.  i.  26-29), 

15.  as  much  as  in  me  is,  I  am  ready.  The  Greek  words  may 
mean  (i)  '  I  am  ready'  (an  emphatic  form  of  expression) ;  (2)  'as 


90  TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  i6 

I  am  ready  to  preach  the  gospel  to  you  also  that  are  in 
1 6  Rome.     For  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel:  for  it  is 

far  as  concerns  me  there  is  readiness'  (the  phrase  being  intended 
to  suggest  to  the  Romans  that  as  far  as  they  are  concerned  they 
too  should  be  read}'^  for  his  visit;  or  to  intimate  that  if  there 
should  be  any  hindrance  it  will  not  be  due  to  Paul  himself,  but 
while  man  proposes  God  disposes);  or  (3)  'the  readiness  or  in- 
clination on  my  part  is  to  preach  the  gospel.'  While  the  last 
construction  seems  the  least  natural  in  English  it  is  probably  the 
most  natural  in  Greek. 

Rome:  which,  as  the  centre  of  the  then  known  world,  had 
a  strong  attraction  for  the  Apostle  ;  but  nevertheless  the  purpose  to 
preach  the  gospel,  which  to  the  Jews  was  an  oifence  and  to  the 
Greeks  foolishness,  amid  the  wealth  and  wisdom,  pride  and  pomp, 
splendour  and  sovereignty  of  Rome,  was  a  severe  test  of  the 
Apostle's  confidence  in  his  message,  and  of  his  personal  courage. 

16,  17.  Paul  justifies  his  confidence  in  his  message  by  in- 
dicating his  conception  of  (i)  its  character,  '  the  power  of  God ' ; 
(2)  its  contents,  'the  righteousness  of  God';  (3)  its  claim,  'faith';  (4) 
its  comprehensiveness, '  Jew  and  Greek ' ;  (5)  its  consequence,  *  sal- 
vation,' 'life';  and  (6)  its  confirmation  in  Scripture.  He  in  these 
words  also  states  what  is  to  be  the  great  theme  of  his  letter.  This 
pregnant  passage  maybe  developed  in  the  following  propositions: 
(i)  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  proves  the  channel  of  God's 
working  to  deliver  man  from  all  evil  on  the  simple  condition  of  its 
being  accepted,  and  this  effect  is  universal,  as  certain  in  the  case 
of  the  Gentile  who  has  not  been  prepared  for  it,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  Jew  who  holds  a  place  of  privilege  in  its  first  having  been 
offered  to  him.  (2)  This  effect  of  the  gospel  is  due  to  its  contents, 
for  in  it  God's  perfection  is  revealed  ;  not  as  exclusive,  but  as 
communicative  ;  not  as  condemning,  but  as  acquitting  guilty  men  ; 
not  as  inflicting  penalty,  but  as  restoring  to  favour  ;  and  again,  the 
sole  condition  of  man's  receiving  this  gift  from  God  is  faith,  ever 
growing  from  less  to  more.  (3")  The  content  of  the  gospel  as 
regards  its  requirement  of  faith  has  been  anticipated  in  the 
prophetic  utterance  that  the  righteous  man  owes  all  the  good  he 
enjoys  to  his  faith, 

16.  ashamed.  The  lowliness  of  Jesus'  earthly  lot,  the  shame 
of  his  crosr,,  the  judgement  of  all  mankind  as  guilty,  the  abandon- 
ment of  all  claim  to  merit,  the  demand  for  faith  alone,  the  levelling 
of  all  distinctions  among  men  alike  needing  and  capable  of  sal- 
vation—these were  all  elements  in  the  gospel  which  Paul  knew^ 
would  be  likely  to  offend  the  conceit  and  arrogance  of  Rome;  but 
as  to  himself  the  gospel  had  proved  the  power  and  wisdom  of 
God,  he  not  only  was  not  ashamed  of  any  part  of  it,  but  even 


TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  17  91 

the  power   of  God   unto  salvation   to   every  one   that 
beheveth ;  to  the  Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Greek.     For  r 
therein  is  revealed  a  righteousness  of  God  by  faith  unto 


gloried  in  what  was  most  offensive  to  most  men  in  it — the  cross  of 
Christ  (Gal.  vi.  14). 

power  of  God :  not  a  force  apart  from  God,  but  a  mode  of 
God's  own  action. 

^  salvation.  This  word  has  passed  through  several  meanings 
in  the  O.  T,  It  is  first  applied  generally  to  any  deliverance  from 
physical  peril,  and  next  specially  to  the  great  national  deliverances, 
such  as  the  exodus  from  Egypt  and  the  return  from  Babylon. 
From  an  historical  it  passes  to  a  prophetic  use,  and  is  used  of  the 
Messianic  deliverance,  either  in  the  form  which  the  expectation 
assumed  in  the  popular  imagination  and  desire,  military  triumph, 
political  emancipation,  and  secular  prosperity,  or  that  of  the 
Christian  hope,  in  v/hich  it  is  not  limited  to  the  negative  form  of 
rescue  from  God's  wrath  against  sin,  but  is  extended  to  the 
positive  aspect  of  possession  of  eternal  life.  The  widest  definition 
of  the  term  is  found  in  John  iii.  16.  The  term  is  not  to  be  re- 
stricted, as  in  popular  use  it  often  is,  to  describe  the  initial  act  of 
justification  ;  but  it  includes  the  whole  process — forgiveness,  holi- 
ness, blessedness. 

Jew  first.  Paul  always  admits  the  Jew's  prior  claim,  as  re- 
cipient of  God's  promises  (iii.  2),  as  of  the  same  race  as  Christ 
(ix.  5),  as  object  of  Christ's  personal  ministry  (xv.  8). 

Greek:  equivalent  to  'Gentile' ;  a  division  of  mankind  accord- 
ing to  religion. 

17.  is  revealed:  the  communication  has  been  made  once  for 
all  in  the  death  of  Christ  (iii.  21-26) ;  but  is  repeated  in  the 
spiritual  experience  of  each  believer  (Gal.  i.  16). 

a  rig-hteousness  of  God.  (i)  Although  the  Greek  phrase 
has  not  got  any  article  (so  also  iii.  5,  21,  22,  and  2  Cor.  v.  21), 
yet  it  is  very  likely  that  the  rendering,  *  a  righteousness  of  God,' 
sacrifices  the  true  sense  to  verbal  accuracy.  The  article  is  used 
in  iii.  25,  26,  'his  righteousness' ;  in  x.  3,  'the  righteousness  of 
(the)  God  ' ;  in  x.  6,  in  the  phrase  '  the  righteousness  out  of  faith  ' ; 
and  Phil.  iii.  9,  'the  righteousness  from  God.'  In  2  Cor.  v.  21, 
although  the  article  is  omitted  from  the  phrase,  the  Revisers 
render  'that  we  might  become  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him.' 
'  God's  righteousness '  would  be  a  more  literal  rendering  still, 
and  would  certainly  be  preferable  to  that  adopted  in  R.  V.  But 
the  rendering  of  the  A.  V.  is  better  still.  What  is  revealed  is  not 
one  of  many  modes  of  God's  righteousness,  but  that  which  crowns 
His  revelation  of  Himself,  and  interprets  and  justifies  all  the  other 
ways  in  which  God's  righteousness  has  been  shewn,     (ii)  What 


92  TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  17 

faith :  as  it  is  written,  But  the  righteous  shall  live  by 
faith. 

does  the  phrase  mean?  (a)  Luther  explained  it  as  meaning  *  the 
righteousness  valid  with  God,'  the  righteousness  imparted  to  the 
sinner,  on  account  of  which  he  is  restored  to  God's  favour  and 
fellowship.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  for  Paul,  as  for  Luther, 
the  important  question  was.  How  shall  a  sinner  be  righteous  before 
God,  be  acquitted,  held  guiltless,  and  forgiven  ?  But  the  phrase 
means  more  than  this,  although  it  includes  this  meaning.  (6) 
Baur  rendered  it  *  a  righteousness  agreeable  to  the  nature  of 
God.'  It  must  mean  this  too,  for  certainly  whatever  is  revealed 
by  God  must  be  in  accord  with  God's  perfection ;  but  it  means 
more,  (c)  It  is  now  generally  taken  for  granted  that  it  can  only 
mean  a  righteousness  which  is  the  gift  of  God  to  man,  the  state 
of  forgiveness  and  acceptance  before  God,  which  has  been  pro- 
vided for  mankind  in  the  work  of  Christ,  and  is  bestowed  on  man 
at  justification.  In  favour  of  this  view  the  following  reasons  can 
be  given:  (i)  As  it  is  appropriated  by  man's  faith,  it  must  be 
something  that  God  can  give  to  man  (x.  6,  '  the  righteousness  out 
of  faith ').  (2)  It  is  contrasted  with  man's  righteousness,  yet 
claims  man's  submission*in  x.  3  :  'being  ignorant  of  God's  righteous- 
ness, and  seeking  to  establish  their  own,  they  did  not  subject 
themselves  to  the  righteousness  of  God.'  It  becomes  man's 
possession,  but  has  its  origin  in  God.  (3)  Paul  makes  this 
meaning  quite  plain  when  he  declares  of  himself,  *  not  having 
a  righteousness  of  mine  own,  even  that  which  is  of  the  law,  but 
that  which  is  through  faith  in  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is 
of  God  by  faith'  (Phil.  iii.  9).  (4)  It  may  be  added  that  in  v.  17 
it  is  called  'the  gift  of  righteousness,'  and  is  joined  with  'the 
abundance  of  grace'  ;  and  again  in  verse  21  grace  is  spoken  of  as 
reigning  through  righteousness  unto  eternal  life.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  whatever  that  Paul  uses  the  phrase  to  indicate  that  the 
Christian's  state  of  acceptance  before  God  is  not,  and  cannot  be, 
the  result  of  any  effort  on  his  part,  but  is  wholly  and  solely  due 
to  God.  (d)  But  we  need  not  stop  there ;  what  God  gives  or 
does,  surely  reveals  what  God  is ;  it  is  a  false  logic  which 
separates  operations  from  attributes.  Hence  more  recently  it 
has  been  maintained  that  the  phrase  means  '  God's  attribute  of 
righteousness,'  His  own  perfection.  In  favour  of  this  view  are 
the  following  considerations  :  (i)  God  is  represented  in  the  O.  T. 
as  displaying  His  righteousness  in  the  acts  by  which  He  saves  His 
people.  Ps.  xcviii.  2,  'The  Lord  hath  made  known  his  salva- 
tion, his  righteousness  hath  he  openly  shewed  in  the  sight  of  the 
nations'  (also  Pss.  xxxvi.  6,  7,  ciii.  6).  (2)  Paul's  own  words 
in  this  Epistle,  iii.  5.  '  But  if  our  unrighteousness  commendeth 
the  righteousness  of  God,' where  clearly  it  is  the  Divine  character 


TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  i8  93 

For  the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from  heaven  against  18 

which  is  referred  to.  (3)  The  evident  antithesis  of  the  phrases, 
'the  righteousness  of  God  is  revealed'  (17),  and  'the  wrath  of 
God  is  revealed '  (i8).  These  reasons  carry  great  weight.  It  is 
not  an  objection  that  the  righteousness  of  God  is  also  represented 
as  conferred  on,  and  received  by,  man ;  for  just  as  the  term 
*  grace '  means  both  God's  favour  and  man's  favoured  state  before 
God,  so  God's  righteousness  may  mean  His  attribute.  His  exercise 
of  that  attribute,  and  the  effect  of  that  exercise  in  man.  Surely 
it  is  more  in  accord  with  the  common  usage  of  words  to  interpret 
the  phrase  as  expressing  what  belongs  to  God  rather  than  what 
God  bestows  on  others ;  although  the  latter  sense  is  legitimate 
as  an  extension  of  the  former,  yet  the  former  is  the  primary, 
(iii)  Having  fixed  the  meaning  of  the  phrase,  we  may  further  ask 
of  what  kind  is  the  righteousness  of  God  thus  revealed.  Is  it 
merely  judicial  and  governmental,  condemning  and  punishing  sin? 
As  will  be  shewn  in  commenting  on  iii.  21-26,  especially  the  word 
'propitiation'  in  verse  25,  it  is  certainly  this.  God,  in  the  cross 
of  Christ,  pronounces  condemnation  and  executes  sentence  on 
the  sin  of  mankind.  But  this  is  not,  and  cannot  be,  the  final 
and  exhaustive  manifestation  of  this  Divine  attribute.  God's 
righteousness  is  not  merely  judicial  but  also  paternal,  not  merely 
punitive  but  also  restorative.  It  is  not  merely  negative,  opposed 
to  sin,  but  positive  also,  operative  for  righteousness.  God's 
purpose  is  not  merely  to  prevent  sin,  but  also  to  produce  righteous- 
ness. God  forgives  and  saves,  not  in  spite  of,  but  because  of, 
His  righteousness  ;  in  so  doing  He  is  consistent  with  Himself  as 
Love.  To  oppose  righteousness  and  love  in  God,  as  is  sometimes 
done,  is  to  attribute  to  God  creaturely  imperfection.  What  God's 
love  purposes  His  righteousness  approves,  and  what  His  love 
performs  manifests  His  righteousness.  We  shall  fail  to  under- 
stand Paul  if  we  take  for  granted  that  he  kept  his  Jewish  Phari- 
saic conception  of  God's  righteousness  ;  his  idea  of  God  was 
surely  one  of  the  things  made  new  when  he  became  a  new 
creature  in  Christ  Jesus,  (iv)  God's  righteousness  taken  in  this 
larger  sense  manifests  itself  in  various  forms  :  (i)  the  fulfilment 
of  His  promises  (iii.  3,  4) ;  (2)  the  punishment  of  sin  (ii.  5) ;  (3) 
the  sacrifice  of  Christ  (iii.  25,  26) ;  (4)  the  forgiveness  of  the 
sinner  who  believes  in  Christ  (probably  this  is  the  sense  specially 
intended  in  this  verse).  We  may  surely  add  (5)  the  sanctification 
of  the  believer  by  his  Spirit,  even  although  it  may  be  admitted 
that  Paul  nowhere  expressly  includes  this  work  of  God  in  using 
the  phrase.  The  death  of  Christ  is  the  central  manifestation  of 
God's  righteousness,  for  it  is  the  fulfilment  of  promise,  shews 
forth  God's  judgement  on  sin,  is  the  reason  for  justification,  and 
the  motive  of  sanctification. 


94  TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  i8 

all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men,  who  hold 

by  faith  unto  faith,  (i)  Faith  claims  what  God  gives,  and 
as  it  is  exercised  it  develops  its  capacity.  As  God's  righteousness 
is  appropriated,  it  increases  faith's  capacity  to  appropriate  more. 
Faith  is  both  beginning  and  end  of  Christian  life.  It  is  faith 
that  receives  God's  justification  ;  it  is  still  faith  which  is  the  con- 
dition of  sanctification.  From  faith,  as  the  initial  act  of  the  soul's 
relation  to  God,  there  is  growth  to  faith  as  the  permanent  attitude 
to  God.  (ii)  An  improbable  interpretation,  as  there  is  nothing 
in  the  context  to  suggest  it,  is  this,  that  from  the  faith  of  Christ, 
his  faithfulness  to  or  his  trust  in  God  as  the  condition  on  which 
God's  righteousness  was  revealed  through  him — God's  righteous- 
ness as  his  forgiving  and  saving  work  in  the  world  had  its 
beginning,  and  that  in  the  faith  of  the  believer  it  has  its  end. 
(iii)  While  the  word  'faith '  has  an  interesting  history  in  the  O.  T. 
and  N.  T.,  Paul's  varying  use  of  the  word  can  now  alone  be  noted: 
(i)  God's  faithfulness  in  fulfilling  the  promises  (iii.  3)  ;  (2)  the 
condition  on  which  supernati:"al  gifts  are  possessed  and  exercised 
(xii.  3,  5)  ;  (3)  the  confidence  that  God  will  fulfil  His  promises 
(iv.  19,  20)  ;  (4)  the  permanent  attitude  of  reliance  on  God  (iv. 
12)  ;  (5)  the  acceptance  of  God's  grace  in  Christ  (i.  5,  x,  8,  17, 
xvi.  26)  ;  (6)  the  assurance  of  acceptance  before  God  which 
enables  a  man  to  enjoy  his  spiritual  liberty  undisturbed  by 
scruples  about  things  indifferent  (xiv.  i,  22)  ;  (7)  the  union  of 
the  believer  with  Christ  (iii.  22,  26).  (iv)  His  use  of  the  term  in 
the  last  sense  is  most  characteristic:  (i)  He  was  led  to  give 
to  faith  this  supreme  significance  in  the  Christian  life  by  his  own 
experience.  Primarily,  faith  meant  for  him  behef  in  the  Mes- 
siahship  of  Jesus  resting  on  the  fact  of  his  resurrection,  and 
consequently  in  the  atoning  efficacy  of  his  death.  But  this 
belief  was  not  merely  an  intellectual  assent  to  these  propositions, 
but  an  intense  love  and  passionate  loyalty  to  the  person  of  Christ 
himself,  an  identification  of  his  own  will  with  the  will  of  Christ  so 
complete  that  Christ's  separation  from  sin  and  surrender  to  God 
were  reproduced  in  him  (vi.  4-1 1)— a  communion  of  spirit  with 
Christ  so  close  that  he  could  regard  his  own  life  as  Christ's  life  in 
him  (Gal.  ii.  20 ;  Phil.  i.  21).  Belief  justifies,  union  with  Christ 
sanctifies;  but  although  Paul  in  his  theological  analysis  thus 
distinguishes  the  two  aspects  and  effects  of  faith,  in  his  own 
living  experience  they  were  inseparable.  His  faith  in  Christ, 
one  and  indivisible,  brought  him  not  only  peace  with  God,  but 
the  power  of  a  new  life.  (2)  He  found  that  he  could,  from  the 
O.  T.  Scriptures,  justify  his  view  of  faith.  Two  passages  especially 
aff'ord  him  an  O.  T.  confirmation  of  his  doctrine  :  Gen.  xv.  6, 
'Abraham  believed  God,  and  it  was  reckoned  unto  him  for 
righteousness.'     To    the   exposition   of  this    text   chapter  iv.  is 


TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  19  95 

down  the  truth  in  unrighteousness ;  because  that  which  19 

devoted.  Hab.  ii.  4,  <  But  the  righteous  shall  live  by  faith.'  In 
other  passages  as  well  (Ps.  xxxii.  i,  2,  cited  iv.  7  ;  Isa.  xlix.  23, 
cited  ix,  33,  x.  11;  Deut.  xxx.  14,  cit-sd  x.  8)  Paul  found  sug- 
gestions of  his  doctrine.  Even  when  the  literal  sense  of  the 
words  taken  in  their  context  does  not  seem  to  prove  all  that  Paul 
finds  in  them,  yet  his  quotation  has  this  justification,  that  faith  in 
Christ  is  the  genuine  development  of  the  trust  and  confidence  the 
Hebrew  saint  put  in  Jehovah. 

But  the  righteous  shall  live  by  faith,  (i)  Probably  we 
should  connect  '  by  faith '  with  '  righteous/  although  another 
Greek  construction  would  have  expressed  this  thought  more 
clearly  ;  because,  what  Paul  aims  at  shewing  is,  that  it  is  by 
faith  alone  that  a  man  can  be  righteous  before  God,  not  that 
being  righteous  he  secures  life  by  faith.  (2)  It  was  amid  the 
sorrow  and  trial  of  the  Chaldaean  invasion  that  the  prophet 
Habakkuk  found  consolation  in  the  thought  that  the  good  and 
godly  man  is  kept  in  peace  and  safety  by  his  trust  and  confidence 
in  God.  The  thought  of  the  prophet  and  the  Apostle  are  not 
quite  the  same  ;  for  Paul,  faith  is  the  condition  of  the  righteous- 
ness, of  which  the  effect  is  salvation  and  life  ;  for  Habakkuk, 
faith  is  a  manifestation  of  righteousness,  which  preserves  and 
assures  life  ;  the  point  in  common  is  the  prominent  place  filled, 
and  the  important  part  played,  by  faith.  There  is  sufficient  simi- 
larity to  justify  the  use  made  of  the  quotation. 

FIRST  PART. 
THE  DOCTBIITAL  EXPOSITION,     i.  18— zi.  36. 

Paul's  thesis,  'the  righteousness  of  God  b}'  faith  unto  faith,'  is 
developed  in  the  doctrinal  exposition  in  three  divisions,  which 
maybe  briefly  described  as  (i)  the  doctrine  of  justification  (i.  18 — 
V.  21),  (2)  the  doctrine  of  sanctification  (vi-viii),  and  (3)  the 
doctrine  of  election  (ix-xi). 

I.     The  Doctrine  of  Justification,     i.  18— v,  21. 

In  dealing  with  justification  Paul  shews  (1)  that  righteousness 
as  a  state  of  acquittal  and  acceptance  before  God  has  not  hitherto 
been  attained  (i.  18  — iii.  20)  ;  12)  that  it  has  been  provided  for 
all  mankind  in  Christ  on  the  sole  condition  of  faith  (iii.  21-31) ; 

(3)  that  this  provision  is  consistent  with  conditions  laid  down 
in    the    law  itself,    as    shewn    in    the    case    of    Abraham    (iv)  ; 

(4)  that  this  righteousness  by  faith  has  its  blissful  effect  in  a 
triumphant  hope  in  Christ  (v.  i-ii)  ;  and  (5)  that  the  relation 
of  Christ  to  the  human  race  is  as  universal  as,  and  still  more 
effective  than,  the  relation  of  Adam  (v.  12-21). 


96  TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  19 

may  be  known  of  God  is  manifest  in  them ;   for  God 


(i)  i,  18 — iii,  20.     Righteousness  hitherto  ttnattained. 

The  proof  of  universal  sinfulness  is  given  by  Paul  in  five 
propositions  :  (i)  The  Gentiles  have  sunk  through  idolatry  into 
immorality  (i.  18-32),  (ii)  The  Jews  as  well  as  the  Gentiles  are 
subject  to  God's  judgement  (ii.  1-16).  (iii)  Circumcision  and 
law  have  not  kept  the  Jews  from  sin  (17-29).  (iv)  No  valid 
objection  can  be  made  to  this  conclusion  (iii.  1-8).  (v)  The  Holy 
Scriptures  affirm  this  universal  sinfulness  (9-20). 

(i)  i.  18-32.  The  sin  of  the  Gentiles,  (a)  Over  against  the 
revelation  of  God's  righteousness,  and  as  the  reason  for  it,  there 
is  the  revelation  of  God's  wrath,  which  will  soon,  with  super- 
natural manifestations,  come  on  all  mankind  on  account  of  human 
impiety  and  immorality,  which  is  wilful  in  spite  of  knowledge 
(18).  (b)  Although  God  has  clearly  revealed  Himself  in  the 
world  He  has  made,  so  that  no  man  can  justly  plead  ignorance 
of  Him,  yet  men  have  been  withholding  the  gratitude  they  owe 
to  Him,  have  abandoned  themselves  to  the  foolish  speculations 
of  their  vain  conceit,  and  have  sunk  to  the  folly  and  shame  of 
idolatry  (19-23).  (c)  Because  they  preferred  the  lie  of  idolatry 
to  the  truth  of  the  worship  of  God,  and  put  the  creature  in  the 
place  of  the  Creator,  to  whom  alone  all  praise  is  due,  God  as 
a  penalty  left  them  to  themselves,  so  that  their  lusts  through 
their  vices  brought  dishonour  on  their  bodies  (24,  25).  {d)  This 
depravity  was  most  shewn  in  the  unnatural  perversion  of  the 
relation  of  the  sexes  to  one  another  (26,  27).  {e)  But  the 
punishment  of  their  wilful  ignorance  of  God  involved  also  their 
abandonment  to  sins,  vices,  and  crimes  of  many  kinds  ;  con- 
science was  darkened,  and  will  perverted  ;  evil  feelings,  words, 
and  deeds  divided  man  from  man ;  religious,  social,  moral 
restraints  were  defied  and  resisted  ;  the  whole  nature  suffered 
deterioration  ;  not  only  was  sin  committed,  but,  in  spite  of  the 
witness  and  warning  of  conscience,  was  approved  (28-32). 

18.  Por.  The  reason  why  the  righteousness  of  God  is  ofTered 
to  man's  faith  is  because  the  wrath  of  God  threatens  him  on 
account  of  his  sin. 

tlie  wrath  of  God.  This  term  has,  in  the  O.  T.,  special  refer- 
ence to  the  covenant  between  God  and  His  people,  whether  the 
wrath  be  visited  on  members  of  the  chosen  race  for  gross  breaches 
of  the  covenant,  as  Nadab  and  Abihu  (Lev,  x.  i,  2),  Korah  (Num. 
xvi.  33),  and  the  Israelites  at  Baal-peor  (xxv.  3),  or  on  their 
foreign  oppressors  (Jer.  1.  11-18;  Ezek.  xxxvi.  5).  The  full 
exhibition  of  God's  wrath  is  in  the  prophets  postponed  to  the 
day  of  Jehovah  (Isa.  ii.  10-22;  Jer.  xxx.  7,  8;  Joel  iii.  12;  Obad. 
8 ;  Zeph.  iii.  8)  ;  and  accordingly  in  the  N.  T.  the  use  of  tlie  term 


TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  20  97 

manifested  it  unto  them.      For  the  invisible  things  of  20 
him  since  the  creation  of  the  world  are  clearly  seen, 

isalmostentirely  eschatological  (Matt.  iii.  7;  i  Thess.  i.  10;  Rom.  ii. 
5,  V.  9  ;  Rev.  vi.  16,  17),  as  the  manifestation  of  God's  indignation 
against  sin  is  postponed  to  the  end  of  the  world.  Paul,  however, 
not  only  anticipated  the  great  Day  of  the  Lord  very  speedily, 
even  in  his  own  lifetime  (i  Cor.  xv.  51),  but  also  recognized 
signs  of  its  approach  in  the  condition  of  mankind,  proving  God's 
condemnation  and  punishment  of  sin.  Although  there  is  a  judicial 
and  even  penal  aspect  of  God's  dealing  with  mankind  here  and 
now,  yet  God's  treatment  of  mankind  is  described  by  Paul  in  the 
phrase,  *  the  passing  over  of  the  sins  done  aforetime  in  the  for- 
beai-ance  of  God'  (iii.  25);  he  reminds  the  impenitent  Jew  of 
'the  riches  of  God's  goodness  and  forbearance  and  longsuffering' 
(ii.  4),  affirms  that  God  '  endured  with  much  longsuffering 
vessels  of  wrath  fitted  unto  destruction'  (ix.  22),  and  even  uses 
the  words,  '  the  times  of  ignorance  . . .  God  overlooked '  (Acts  xvii. 
30).  Even  God's  judicial  and  penal  action  in  the  present  has 
mercy  for  its  motive  and  man's  salvation  for  its  end  :  '  God  hath 
shut  up  all  unto  disobedience,  that  he  might  have  mercy  upon  all* 
(xi.  32).  These  considerations  must  never  be  forgotten.  God's 
present  dealing  with  mankind  is  not  in  wrath,  but  mercy,  and 
even  His  wrath  serves  His  mercy. 

from  heaven :  apparently  a  reference  to  the  supernatural 
portents  expected  at  Christ's  Second  Coming  (i  Thess.  iv,  16). 

uug'odliness  and  unrighteousness.  These  terms  express 
sins  against  God  and  sins  against  man — religious  and  moral 
ofTences. 

hold  down:  or, '  hold.'  Although  the  Greek  word  may  mean 
'hold  fast,'  it  also  can  mean  'hinder/  'keep  back,'  and  this  is 
the  better  rendering  here. 

the  truth:  the  knowledge  of  God  and  goodness  given  in 
reason  and  conscience. 

in  unrig-hteousness :  'while  they  live  unrighteously.'  The 
truth  which  would  have  kept  sin  in  check  is  curbed,  while  sin 
gets  a  free  rein. 

19.  that  which  may  be  known:    lit.  'that  which  is  known,' 
but  it  may  also  mean  '  the  knowable.' 

in  them:  not  among  men,  but  in  each  man's  own  reason  and 
conscience,  in  which  God  has  His  witness, 

20.  the  invisible  thing's  of  him :  i.e.  God's  power  and  divinity 
afterwards  mentioned. 

since  the  creation  of  the  world.  As  the  Greek  word 
rendered  '  creation '  may  mean  either  the  act  of  creating  or  the 
thing  created,  another  rendering  has  been  suggested,  '  from  the 

H 


98  TO  THE  ROMANS  1.  21-23 

being  perceived  through  the  things  that  are  made,  even 
his  everlasting  power  and  divinity;  that  they  may  be 
21  without  excuse :  because  that,  knowing  God,  they  glorified 
him  not  as  God,  neither  gave  thanks ;  but  became  vain 
in  their  reasonings,  and  their  senseless  heart  was  darkened. 
22, 23  Professing  themselves  to  be  wise,  they  became  fools,  and 
changed  the  glory  of  the  incorruptible  God  for  the  like- 
ness of  an  image  of  corruptible  man,  and  of  birds,  and 
fourfooted  beasts,  and  creeping  things. 

created  universe,'  the  meaning  being  that  the  order  and  fitness 
of  nature  reveal  God  ;  but  the  temporal  sense  is  probably  more  in 
accordance  with  usage. 

clearly  seen:  or  possibly,  'contemplated/  'surveyed.' 

power.  This  is  the  attribute  of  God  that  first  and  most  of  all 
impresses  itself  on  the  mind  of  man  in  contemplating  nature. 

divinity  :  all  the  other  attributes  of  God. 

that  they  may  be :  or,  *  so  that  they  are '  :  purpose  or  result. 
While  the  former  rendering  is  more  in  accord  with  grammatical 
usage,  yet  the  latter  better  suits  the  context,  for  the  next  verse 
gives  a  reason  for  a  fact,  not  for  an  intention.  It  is  theologically 
sounder,  for  God  does  not  reveal  Himself  that  He  may  condemn 
man,  although  man  may  bring  condemnation  on  himself  by  neglect 
of  God's  revelation. 

21.  gflorified:  gave  honour  or  praise. 

vain:  'frustrated,'  'futile.'  Idols  are  in  the  O.  T.  described 
as  'vain  things,'  'things  of  nought.' 

reasoning's.  The  word  is  always  used  in  the  N.  T.  in  bad 
sense  for  'perverse,  self-willed  speculations.' 

senseless:  i.e.  'unintelligent,'  unable  to  recognize  moral 
distinctions,  or  to  anticipate  the  consequences  of  their  actions. 

heart :  used  for  all  the  human  faculties  of  thought,  feeling, 
will;  as  the  Jews  believed  that  the  life  was  in  the  blood,  so  the 
heart  was  regarded  as  the  seat  of  mr.n's  inner  life. 

22.  Professing-  themselves  to  toe  wise.  The  pretensions  of 
Greek  philosophy  are  here  condemned.  To  the  Greek,  wisdom 
was  the  highest  form  of  virtue.  Paul  expresses  his  estimate  of  this 
wisdom  in  i  Cor.  i.  18-25. 

23.  glory:  'manifested  perfection,'  His  power  and  divinity  as 
seen  in  nature. 

incorruptitole :  not  subject  to  death,  and  so  not  liable  to 
decay  as  all  creatures  are. 

an  image,  &c.     Instead  of  being  content  to  contemplate  the 


TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  24-27  99 

Wherefore  God  gave  them  up  in  the  lusts  of  their  24 
hearts  unto  uncleanness,  that  their  bodies  should   be 
dishonoured  among  themselves :  for  that  they  exchanged  25 
the  truth  of  God  for  a  lie,  and  worshipped  and  served 
the  creature  rather  than  the  Creator,  who  is  blessed  for 
ever.     Amen. 

For  this  cause  God  gave  them  up  unto  vile  passions :  26 
for  their  women  changed  the  natural  use  into  that  which 
is  against  nature  :  and  likewise  also  the  men,  leaving  the  27 
natural  use  of  the  woman,  burned  in  their  lust  one  toward 
another,  men  with  men  working  unseemliness,  and 
receiving  in  themselves  that  recompense  of  their  error 
which  was  due. 


evidence  of  God's  nature  as  revealed  by  Himself,  men  chose  to 
represent  God  to  themselves  as  though  He  were  like  to  His 
creatures.  Anthropomorphism  was  characteristic  of  Greek  and 
Roman  religion,  where  the  gods  were  represented  not  only  of 
the  same  form,  but  as  of  like  passions  as  men.  The  worship  of 
all  kinds  of  beasts  (bull,  cat)  was  common  in  Egypt ;  the  calf  made 
in  the  wilderness,  and  the  calves  set  up  at  Dan  and  Bethel  are 
instances  of  this  tendency  even  among  the  Israelites. 

24.  gave  them  up.  It  has  been  pointed  out  that  the  sense  of 
the  term  is  not  merely  permissive,  God  allowing  men  to  have  their 
own  way,  or  pnvative,  God  withdrawing  His  gracious  aid ;  but 
punitive^  God  inflicting  penalty  on  idolatry.  There  is,  however, 
nothing  accidental  or  arbitrary  in  the  penalty,  it  necessarily  results 
from  the  offence  ;  sin's  punishment  is  its  own  increase. 

nncleanness.  Sensual  immorality  is  the  general  accom- 
paniment and  the  usual  consequent  of  idolatry,  for  the  degradation 
of  God  involves  the  debasement  of  man. 

25.  rather  than :  not  merely  more  than,  but  instead  of;  passing 
the  Creator  by  to  regard  the  creature. 

blessed:  not  merely  happy,  but  worthy  of  all  praise  and 
honour.  This  doxology  is  called  forth  by  the  previous  mention  of 
that  which  the  reverent  spirit  is  sorry  and  ashamed  to  recognize 
as  fact :  in  it  Paul,  as  it  were,  condemns  what  he  records. 

26.  27.  Historians  and  satirists  alike  confirm  this  account  of 
the  awful  and  unnatural  vice  of  pagan  society. 

26.  vile  passions:  Gr.  'passions  of  dishonour,'  appetites,  the 
indulgence  of  which  brings  shame. 

H   2 


loo  TO  THE  ROMANS   1.  28-32 

28  And  even  as  they  refused  to  have  God  in  their  know- 
ledge, God  gave  them  up  unto  a  reprobate  mind,  to  do 

29  those  things  which  are  not  fitting ;  being  filled  with  all 
unrighteousness,  wickedness,  covetousness,  maliciousness; 
full  of  envy,  murder,  strife,  deceit,  malignity ;  whisperers, 

30  backbiters,  hateful  to  God,  insolent,  haughty,  boastful, 

31  inventors  of  evil  things,  disobedient  to  parents,  without 
understanding,  covenant-breakers,  without  natural  aifec- 

32  tion,  unmerciful :  who,  knowing  the  ordinance  of  God, 
that  they  which  practise  such  things  are  worthy  of  death, 
not  only  do  the  same,  but  also  consent  with  them  that 
practise  them. 


28.  refused:    Gr.  'did  not    approve.'      The  literal  rendering 
would  be  better  :  *  the  right  choice  was  wilfully  not  made.' 

knowledg'8  :  *  full  knowledge.' 

reprobate :  lit.  '  disapproved.'  There  is  a  play  on  words  ; 
since  men  do  not  approve  to  have  the  knowledge  of  God,  God 
gives  them  up  to  a  disapproved  mind. 

mind:  the  faculty  of  moral  discernment,  conscience. 

29.  wickedness :  the  disposition  to  hurt  others, 
maliciousness  :  doing  mischief  to  others. 

murder :  angry  thoughts  against  others  prompting  to  murder 
(Matt.  v.  21-26). 

whisperers  :  those  who  secretly  slander  others. 

30.  backbiters :  generally  evil  speakers. 

hateful  to  God:  or,  'haters  of  God.'  As  a  description  of 
a  vice  the  latter  sense  would  appear  preferable  ;  but  Paul  may  not 
be  intending  here  to  add  another  vice  to  the  catalogue,  but  rather 
to  point  out  that  all  the  preceding  sins  involve  God's  disapproval. 
The  term,  however,  suggests  defiant  wickedness,  conscious  of, 
but  unrestrained  by,  God's  displeasure. 

insolent  in  deed,  haug-hty  in  thought,  boastful  in  words: 
'bullies,  braggarts,  bravoes.' 

31.  covenant-breakers:   'false  to  their  engagements.' 
without  natural  affection.   Infanticide  and  divorce  were  very 

common  in  that  age. 

32.  ordinance :  declaration  of  God's  righteous  sentence, 
consent  with:  '  heartily  approve.'     To  encourage  others  in 

wrong-doing,  and  thus  to  lower  the  social  standard  of  morality,  is 
worse  than  solitary  wrong-doing.     A  man  may  act  against  his 


TO  THE  ROMANS   2.   i  loi 

Wherefore  thou  art  without  excuse,  O  man,  whosoever  2 

conscience,  but   his   state  is  worse  when    his   conscience   is   so 
perverted  that  he  can  find  satisfaction  in  the  sins  of  others. 

The  State  of  the  Gentiles.  18-32. 
Before  passing  from  this  passage  it  is  needful  to  deal  very 
briefly  with  the  objection  which  modern  thought  may  bring 
against  Paul's  statement.  H^s  view  of  man's  primitive  state, 
and  the  decline  into  idolatry  and  immorality,  seem  in  sharp 
antagonism  to  what  anthropology  has  to  tell  us  about  human 
evolution.  In  describing  the  state  of  the  heathen  world  Paul 
assumes  an'^riginal  knowledge  of  God  through  nature  and  con- 
science, a  conscious  and  voluntary  fall  into  idolatry,  and,  as  its 
consequence,  a  growth  of  immorality.  The  general  assumption 
of  anthropology  is,  however,  that  man's  movement  has  been 
steadily  upwards.  It  is  neither  necessary  nor  desirable  to  lay 
any  stress  on  the  fact  that  some  students  of  comparative  religion 
deny  that  the  superstition  of  the  savages  of  the  present  day  repre- 
sents the  primitive  religion,  and  maintain  that  there  are  evidences 
at  an  earlier  stage,  if  not  of  absolute  monotheism,  yet  of  a  vague 
conception  of  a  unity  in  all  phenomena  of  nature  adored  as 
Divine ;  and  that  barbarism  accordingly  represents  not  arrested 
evolution,  but  actual  deterioration  in  religion  and  morals  alike. 
Although  Paul  may  prove  less  in  error  about  the  facts  than  is  usually 
assumed,  his  defence  does  not  lie  here.  It  is  certain  that  in  the 
Roman  Empire  at  least,  with  which  Paul  was,  as  he  wrote,  ex- 
clusively concerned,  religious  superstition  and  moral  corruption 
had  succeeded  a  comparatively  purer  and  better  state.  It  was  not 
a  progressive  but  a  decadent  age.  That  there  is  a  close  connexion 
between  false  views  of  God  and  wrong  standards  of  duty,  and 
that  nature  and  conscience  alike  do  afford  evidence  of  God's 
existence  and  character,  which  might  have  rebuked  and  restrained 
idolatry  and  immorality — these  are  truths  which  no  legitimate 
conclusions  of  anthropology  can  invalidate.  It  must  be  re- 
membered that  amid  pagan  superstition  and  corruption  a  moral 
monotheism — imperfect  and  inadequate  from  our  standpoint,  yet 
a  great  contrast  to  its  environment— had  been  developed  in  the 
philosophical  schools.  The  stale  of  the  Roman  world  was  not  a 
physical  necessity  or  an  historical  fate  ;  there  had  been  defiance 
of  and  disobedience  to  conscience ;  there  had  been  abuse  of  liberty 
of  choice ;  there  had  been  approval  of  the  better  and  pursuit  of 
the  worse  course  ;  there  were,  therefore,  sin  and  guilt.  This  is  all 
Paul's  argument  requires  him  to  prove,  and  he  succeeds  in  doing 
this.  That  he  gives  the  proof  in  the  form  of  the  common  assump- 
tions of  his  age  and  people  need  be  no  stumbling-block  to  the  faith 
of  those   who    recognize    that   in   the    Scriptures    the   heavenly 


I02  TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  2,  3 

thou  art  that  judgest :  for  wherein  thou  judgest  another, 
thou  condemnest  thyself;   for  thou  that  judgest  dost 

2  practise  the  same  things.    And  we  know  that  the  judge- 
ment of  God  is  according  to  truth  against  them  that 

3  practise  such  things.     And  reckonest  thou  this,  O  man, 

treasure  is  in  an  earthen  vessel,  eternal  and  universal  truth  is 
presented  in  temporary  and  local  modes  of  thought. 

(ii)  ii.  1-16.  God's  universal  judgement,  (a)  The  Jewish  judge  of 
the  Gentile  sinner,  having  himself  sinned,  stands  self-condemned  ; 
for  as  God  judges  all  alike,  the  Jewish  sinner  cannot  claim  exemp- 
tion from  judgement  as  his  national  privilege,  but  God's  dealings 
in  mercy  with  him,  as  aiming  at  his  repentancCj  if  perversely 
abused,  will  involve  him  in  deeper  condemnation  (1-5).  {b)  God 
will  deal  with  all  men  in  strict  justice,  punishing  the  wrong-doer, 
and  rewarding  him  who  seeks  to  do  right,  the  Jew's  priority  being 
recognized  even  in  judgement  (6-1 1).  (c)  While  there  will  be 
judgement  for  all,  the  standard  of  judgement  for  the  Jew  will  be 
the  law  of  Moses,  which  it  is  not  merely  his  privilege  to  hear,  but 
also  his  obligation  to  obey,  and  for  the  Gentile  the  law  of  con- 
science, of  which  he  shews  himself  possessed,  in  his  actions,  his 
judgement  of  himself,  and  the  standard  he  applies  to  others  ;  this 
judgement  will  be  carried  out  at  the  Great  Day  when  Christ  shall  act 
as  God's  agent  in  bringing  to  light  all  that  has  been  hidden  (12-16). 

1.  Wherefore.  The  connexion  with  the  previous  paragraph  is 
this  :  What  has  just  been  said  about  the  Gentiles  applies  to  the 
Jews  as  well,  inasmuch  as  they,  too,  have  sinned  against  know- 
ledge ;  but  before  Paul  can  complete  his  proof  of  universal  sinful- 
ness by  bringing  the  same  charge  against  the  Jews,  he  has  first  to 
disprove  the  arrogant  claim  of  the  Jews  to  be  so  superior  morally 
to  the  Gentiles  that  they  have  a  right  to  be  judges  ;  and,  secondly, 
to  refute  the  assumption  that  their  national  privileges  exempt 
them  from  the  same  judgement.  He  affirms  God's  universal 
judgement  of  Jew  and  Gentile  alike  by  the  standard  valid  for  each. 

O  man.  Paul  expresses  himself  thus  generally,  although  he 
has  the  Jew  especially  in  view. 

2.  we  know.  Paul  assumes  that  the  truth  of  God's  righteous 
judgement  is  admitted  by  all,  and  he  can  base  his  argument  upon  it. 

judgrement.  In  the  N.  T.  the  word  is  not  used  in  the  general 
sense  usually,  but  means  condemnation  and  even  execution  of 
adverse  sentence. 

tmth:  the  real  moral  condition,  not  race,  rank,  or  religious 
profession. 

3.  thou  Shalt  escape.     Although  the  Rabbis  often  insisted  on 


TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  4-7  103 

who  judgest  them  that  practise  such  things,  and  doest 
the  same,  that  thou  shalt  escape  the  judgement  of  God  ? 
Or  despisest  thou  the  riches  of  his  goodness  and  for-  4 
bearance  and  longsuffering,  not  knowing  that  the  goodness 
of  God  leadeth  thee  to  repentance  ?  but  after  thy  hardness  5 
and  impenitent  heart  treasurest  up  for  thyself  wrath  in 
the  day  of  wrath  and  revelation  of  the  righteous  judgement 
of  God ;  who  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  6 
works :  to  them  that  by  patience  in  well-doing  seek  for  7 

the  necessity  of  observing  the  law,  yet  it  was  a  popular  opinion 
among  the  Jews  that  Jewish  nationality  conferred  the  privilege  of 
exemption  from  Divine  judgement.  One  Rabbinic  saying  ran 
thus  :  *  He  that  hath  his  permanent  abode  in  Palestine  is  sure  of 
the  Hfe  to  come.'  In  the  N.  T.  itself  such  a  belief  is  rebuked 
(Matt.  iii.  9 ;  John  viii.  33  ;  Gal.  ii.  15). 

4.  the  riches.  This  figurative  use  of  the  term  in  reference  to 
the  Divine  attributes  is  found  twelve  times  in  Paul's  writings,  but 
nowhere  else  in  the  N.  T. 

SToodness  and  forbearance  and  long'suffering' :  kindly  dis- 
position and  delay  of  punishment  (holding  one's  hand,  literally) 
and  patience  (long  temper,  literally).     Cf  Exod.  xxxiv.  6,  7. 

leadeth  thee.  This  is  what  is  known  as  the  conative  present, 
and  the  sense  may  be  given  thus  :  *  aims  and  seeks  to  lead  thee.' 
It  expresses  effort  which  may  not  realize  its  purpose. 

repentance:  as  elsewhere  in  the  N.  T.,  not  merely  grief  for 
sin,  but  thorough  inward  change. 

5.  hardness :  rather,  insensibihty,  callousness, 
treasurest:   contrast  to  the   riches  of  God's  goodness  just 

spoken  of  and  the  heavenly  treasure  (Matt.  vi.  20),  The  punish- 
ment was  gradually  laid  up,  and  would  come  on  the  sinner  in  one 
overwhelming  burden  of  judgement. 

di.y  of  wrath :  the  prophets,  from  Amos  onwards  to  John 
the  Baptist,  taught  that  the  day  of  the  Lord  would  be  a  day  of 
judgement  (Amos  v.  18 ;  Isa.  ii.  12,  xiii.  6,  xxiv.  21  ;  Jer.  xlvi.  10 ; 
Zeph.  i.  7  ;  Ezek.  vii.  7,  xxx.  3  ;  Joel  ii.  i  ;  Zech.  xiv.  i  ;  Matt.  iii. 
7 ;  Luke  iii.  7).  This  same  expectation  is  continued  in  the  N.  T. 
(Luke  xvii.  30  ;  Acts  ii.  20  ;  i  Cor.  i.  8,  v.  5  ;  2  Cor.  i.  14  ;  i  Thess. 
V.  a,  4 ;  2  Thess.  ii.  2  ;  2  Pet.  iii.  10,  12 ;  Rev.  vi.  17,  xvi.  14), 
even  although  it  is  the  manifestation  of  Christ,  not  of  Jehovah, 
that  is  looked  for.  A  complete  triumph  of  good  over  evil  is  not 
expected  in  the  present  order. 

6.  who  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  works. 


I04  TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  8 

8  glory  and   honour  and  iiicorruption,   eternal  life :    but 

This  is  the  uniform  and  consistent  teaching  of  the  Scriptures,  that 
a  man  will  be  judged  in  the  final  judgement  according  to  his  works 
(Matt.  xvi.  27,  XXV.  31-46 ;  2  Cor.  v,  10 ;  Gal.  vi.  7  ;  Eph.  vi.  8 ; 
Col.  iii.  24 ;  Rev.  ii.  23,  xx.  12,  xxii.  12  .  But  it  may  be  asked,  How 
can  this  teaching  be  reconciled  with  Paul's  doctrine  of  justification 
by  faith  alone  apart  from  works?  The  following  considerations 
may  be  suggested  to  remove  the  contradiction  :  (i)  The  two 
doctrines  came  into  Paul's  consciousness  from  two  distinct 
sources.  The  doctrine  of  judgement  according  to  works  he  held 
in  common  with  all  the  theological  schools  among  the  Jews,  and 
it  has  its  roots  in  the  O.  T.  The  doctrine  of  justification  is  his 
original  contribution  to  Christian  thought ;  although  it  has  points 
of  support  in  the  O.  T.  and  in  the  teaching  of  Jesus,  yet  it  rested 
for  the  most  part  on  his  own  distinctive  experience.  As  Paul 
himself  does  not  seem  to  have  been  conscious  of  any  contradiction, 
he  has  not  himself  explicitly  offered  us  any  harmony  of  the  two 
truths.  In  his  teaching,  however,  there  is  implied  all  we  need 
for  reconciling  the  difference.  (2)  The  doctrine  of  justification 
deals  only  with  the  conditions  on  which  a  sinner  finds  acceptance 
before  God  and  begins  the  Christian  life.  Its  subsequent  course 
is  treated  in  the  doctrine  of  sanctification,  in  which  works,  not  as 
an  external  conformity  to  any  legal  code,  but  as  the  spontaneous 
expression  of  the  spiritual  life,  are  insisted  on  not  only  as 
necessary  but  even  as  inevitable.  Only  he  is  Christ's  to  be  saved 
and  blessed  in  him  who  has  the  Spirit;  and  where  the  Spirit  is, 
there  too  will  be  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  (3)  It  is  only  then  as 
the  means  of  earning  forgiveness  that  works  are  in  contrast  to 
faith;  but  when  God's  grace  has  been  once  received  through  faith, 
this  faith  expresses  and  exercises  the  grace  it  receives  in  works 
conformable  to  the  will  of  God.  (4)  At  the  last  judgement  the 
reward  bestowed  on  works  will  be  by  an  act  of  free  grace  ;  for 
without  faith  in  God's  grace  the  course  of  Christian  life  would 
never  have  been  entered  on,  and  without  the  continuous  com- 
munication of  God's  grace  no  progress  in  that  course  would  have 
been  possible,  (5)  The  works  by  which  a  man  will  be  judged, 
therefore,  are  either  works  which  through  lack  of  faith  in  God's 
grace,  which  alone  makes  goodness  possible,  fail  to  conform  to  the 
Divine  strndard,  or  works  which  as  the  expression  and  exercise 
of  faith  not  only  do  conform,  but  even  by  the  faith  from  which 
they  spring  give  the  promise  of  a  growing  conformity  to  the  will 
of  God.  (6)  Works  as  a  substitute  for  faith  cannot  avert  punish- 
ment or  secure  reward,  for  apart  from  faith  the  conformity  to  the 
will  of  God  required  is  impossible  ;  but  works  are  recognized  in 
the  final  judgement  as  evidence  of  faith,  which  can  prove  its 
reality  and  sincerity  only  b}'  such  evidence.     (7)  Faith  in  God's 


TO  THE  ROMANS   2.  8  105 

unto  them  that  are  factious,  and  obey  not  the  truth, 
but  obey  unrighteousness,  shall  be  wrath  and  indignation, 

grace  is  not  a  substitute  for  holy  living,  for  righteous  conduct,  but 
:the  condition  on  which  alone  guilty,  sinful  men  can  become 
holy  and  righteous. 

7,  8.  As  the  words  eternal  life  are  in  the  accusative  case,  we 
must  supply  from  verse  6  '  he  will  render '  as  the  verb  of  which 
this  is  the  object ;  God's  personal  action  in  rewarding  the  righteous 
is  affirmed.  But  in  the  next  verse  the  construction  is  changed. 
As  the  words  wrath  and  indignation  are  in  the  nominative  case, 
we  must  supply  a  verb  of  which  these  will  be  the  subject ;  the 
words  supplied  by  the  R.  V.,  shall  be,  are  sufficient.  By  this 
construction  the  inevitable  sequence  of  cause  and  effect  is  sug- 
gested rather  than  God's  personal  action.  In  ix.  22,  23,  by 
a  change  of  construction  Paul  again  avoids  ascribing  the  punish- 
ment of  the  wicked  directly  to  God's  personal  action  while 
attributing  the  reward  of  the  righteous.  This  shews  a  refinement 
of  feeling,  with  which  every  reverent  Christian  must  deeply 
sympathize. 

7.  patience.  Not  so  much  passive  resignation  as  active  endurance 
is  suggested  by  the  Greek  word  ;  it  is  not  only  a  burden  borne, 
but  a  warfare  waged. 

eternal  life:  (i)  'Life'  does  not  mean  merel}' existence — 
even  conscious  existence — but  an  existence  which  combines  here 
the  promise,  hereafter  the  fulfilment,  of  perfection,  and  the 
blessedness  which  the  conciousness  of  perfection  implies.  (2) 
'  Eternal/  even  as  '  Life,'  has  by  some  writers  been  held  as 
a  qualitative  description.  It  does  not  mean,  it  is  affirmed,  duration 
merely,  bui  duration  conformable  to  the  nature  or  character  of 
that  of  which  the  term  is  predicated.  Each  existence  has  its  own 
appropriate  period  of  duration,  and  *  eternal '  means  continuance 
throughout  the  whole  of  that  period.  As  this  life  from  and  in  God 
is  the  perfect  life,  eternal  in  this  connexion  means  everlasting  ; 
but  we  must  not  render  the  term  everlasting  where  the  same 
reason  cannot  be  given.  This  reasoning  is,  however,  doubtful  ; 
and  in  the  N.  T.  '  eternal '  seems  to  be  used  as  equivalent  to  ever- 
lasting. 

8.  factions.  The  literal  meaning  of  the  Greek  word  is  'those 
who  act  in  the  spirit  of  a  hireling ' ;  but  the  secondary  meaning 
of  contentiousness  may  have  been  already  current ;  if  so,  the 
meaning  would  be,  those  who,  instead  of  submitting  to  God's  will, 
seek  means  of  discussing  God's  authority  or  disobeying  God's 
commands. 

truth :  not  intellectual  conceptions,  but  moral  standards 
conforming  to  the  Divine  will. 

wrath  and  indignation.     While  the  former  term  expresses 


io6  TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  9-12 

9  tribulation  and  anguish,  upon  every  soul  of  man  that 

worketh  evil,  of  the  Jew  first,  and  also  of  the  Greek; 

10  but  glory  and  honour  and  peace   to   every  man  that 

worketh  good,  to  the  Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Greek : 

[,  12  for  there  is  no  respect  of  persons  vnth  God.      For  as 

many  as  have  sinned  without    law   shall  also  perish 


a  permanent  feeling,  the  latter  describes  the  occasional  outbursts 
of  that  feeling. 

9.  tribulation  and  angxiish.  Anguish  is  the  stronger  word 
and  means  '  torturing  confinement.'  It  is  noticeable  that  the 
contrast  to  '  eternal  life  *  is,  according  to  Paul,  a  conscious  state. 

soul  of  man :  not  merely  a  periphrasis  for  every  man,  but 
calling  attention  to  that  part  of  man  on  which  the  penalty  will  fall. 

worketli :  not  an  adequate  rendering  of  the  Greek  word, 
which  would  require  the  rendering  *  persevereth  to  the  end  in 
working.' 

first.  The  Jew,  as  having  clearer  knowledge,  had  a  greater 
responsibility  ;  this  was  a  recognition  of  Jewish  prerogative  that 
Jewish  patriotism  would  willingly  have  ignored. 

10.  peace.  There  may  be  special  reference  to  the  peace  of 
justification  (v.  i). 

11.  respect  of  persons.  The  term  literally  means  'acceptance 
of  the  countenance,'  and  hence  (i)  gracious  reception  of  a  suppliant 
or  suitor,  and  (2)  partial,  and  so  corrupt,  judgement,  always  the 
latter  in  the  N.  T. 

12.  law:  (i)  Attention  must  be  called  to  the  difference  of 
meaning  when  this  word  is  used  with  or  without  the  article,  (i) 
With  the  article  it  means  generally  the  law  of  Moses  as  something 
with  which  the  readers  are  familiar.  (2)  Without  the  article  it 
means  law  in  general.  But  (3)  there  is  a  third  use,  when  the 
word  is  without  an  article,  although  the  context  clearly  shews 
that  the  reference  is  to  the  law  of  Moses  ;  the  explanation  of  the 
absence  of  the  article  is  this,  that  attention  is  called  to  the  law 
not  as  from  Moses,  but  as  legal  requirement ;  to  quality,  not  origin. 
In  this  passage  Paul  is  laying  emphasis  not  on  any  positive  law, 
but  on  the  principle  of  law  as  regulative  of  God's  relations  to  men. 
(ii)  While  the  Gentiles  are  without  the  law  of  Moses,-  they  shew 
a  law  written  in  their  hearts  (ii.  15)  ;  but  the  Jews,  while 
instructed  in  the  law  (verse  18),  resting  in  the  law  (verse  17),  and 
making  a  boast  of  the  law  (verse  23),  do  not  keep  the  law,  even 
although  it  is  not  hearing,  but  doing  the  law  that  justifies  (verse  13). 
Even  though  death  reigned  from  Adam  to  Moses,  sin  was  not 
imputed,  was  not  reckoned  as  guilt  when  there  was  no  law  (v.  13). 


TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  12  107 

without  law:   and  as  many  as  have  sinned  under  law 

When  the  law  came,  it  brought  the  knowledge  of  sin  (iii.  20,  vii.  7), 
sin  became  transgression,  and  so  incurred  condemnation  (iv.  15), 
and  disobedience  was  provoked  by  the  prohibition  of  the  law 
(vii.  8),  so  that  the  direct  result  of  the  coming  in  of  the  law  was 
that  the  trespass  abounded  (v.  20),  guilt  was  increased.  But  on 
the  other  hand  the  law  is  spiritual  (vii.  14)  and  holy  (verse  12), 
and  the  inward  man  delights  in  the  law  (verse  22).  Although  it 
multiplies  sin,  the  law  is  not  sin  (verse  7),  but  it  is  made  weak 
by  the  flesh  (viii.  3)  ;  and,  as  no  man  can  keep  the  law  because 
of  this  weakness,  there  is  no  justification  possible  to  any  man  by 
the  law  (iii.  20),  Hence  there  must  be  provided  a  righteousness 
apart  from  the  law  (verse  21)  although  it  is  witnessed  by  the  law. 
This  righteousness  does  not  make  the  law  of  none  effect  in  putting 
faith  instead  of  works  as  the  condition  of  possessing  it,  but  it 
establishes  the  law  (verse  31)  ;  for  (i)  the  law  itself  in  the  case  of 
Abraham  witnesses  that  faith  was  reckoned  for  righteousness 
(iv.  3)  ;  (2)  what  the  law  failed  to  accomplish  because  of  its 
weakness  is  accomplished  in  this  righteousness,  the  condemnation 
of  sin  in  the  death  of  Christ  (viii.  3),  and  the  fulfilment  of  all  the 
requirements  of  the  law,  which  are  summed  up  in  love  (xiii.  9)  by 
the  Spirit  in  believers  (viii.  4V  As  Christ  is  thus  the  end  of  the 
law  (x.  4),  the  believer  is  discharged  from  the  law  (vii.  6),  and  is 
now  not  under  law,  but  grace  (vi.  14).  (iii)  This  summary  of 
Paul's  teaching  on  the  law  will  be  made  fully  clear  when  the  more 
important  statements  have  been  discussed  :  but  it  is  important  to 
have  such  an  outline  of  his  treatment  of  the  subject  before  one's 
mind  in  dealing  with  any  part  of  it.  It  will  now  be  sufficient  to 
remark,  by  way  of  explanation,  (i)  that  Paul  conceives  the  law  as 
the  Pharisees  conceived  it,  as  a  system  of  commands  and  ordinances 
which  must  be  literally  observed  if  the  penalty  threatened  was  to 
be  averted,  or  the  reward  promised  secured ;  but  at  no  time  in  the 
history  of  revelation  was  God's  relation  to  man  thus  a  merely 
legal  one  ;  (2)  that  Paul  had  a  profound  and  intense  personal 
experience  of  the  impotence  of  man's  will  to  keep  the  law 
perfectly,  of  the  provocation  to  sin  that  a  prohibition  often  proves 
to  be,  of  the  misery  that  such  moral  failure  involves ;  (3)  that  he 
interpreted  the  moral  history  of  mankind  in  accordance  with,  on 
the  one  hand,  this  personal  experience,  and  on  the  other  the 
records  of  the  past  current  in  his  own  people  ;  and  (4)  that  the 
three  stages  of  man's  moral  development  he  indicates — the  state 
before  the  moral  consciousness  has  been  fully  awakened  (the 
world  without  the  law),  the  state  when  the  contrast  between  duty 
and  desire  is  experienced  (the  world  under  law),  and  the  state 
when  the  contrast  is  transcended,  and  a  man  recognizes  that  he 
can  fulfil  the  end  of  his  own  life  only  as  he  submits  to  the  laws  of 


io8  TO  THE  ROMANS   2.   13,  14 

13  shall  be  judged  by  law;  for  not  the  hearers  of  a  law  are 
just  before  God,  but  the  doers  of  a  law  shall  be  justified  : 

14  for  when  Gentiles  which  have  no  law  do  by  nature  the 

his  being  (the  world  under  grace) — do  accurately  correspond  to  the 
moral  history  of  the  race  and  the  individual. 

without  law:  not  absolutely,  but  relatively  ;  for  Paul  himself 
had  just  declared  that  the  Gentiles  had  suppressed  the  testimony  of 
conscience  to  righteousness  (i.  18,  28),  and  he  afterwards  ascribes 
to  the  Gentiles  a  law  written  in  their  hearts— the  testimony  of 
conscience — mutual  moral  judgement  (ii.  15).  Law  is  here  used  in 
the  narrower  sense  of  an  explicit  code  recognized  as  of  Divine 
origin ;  there  were  many  nations  without  this. 

13.  hearers  of  a  law.  While  one  Rabbi  is  reported  to  have 
said,  '  Law  is  acquired  by  learning,  by  a  listening  ear,'  another 
said,  '  Not  learning,  but  doing  is  the  groundwork,  and  whoso 
multiplies  words,  occasions  sin.'  Every  Jew  heard  the  law  read 
in  the  synagogue  (Acts  xv.  21).  For  the  same  contrast  between 
hearing  and  doing  see  Matt  vii.  24-27  and  Jas.  i.  22-25.  The  Jews 
seem  to  have  believed  that  the  mere  hearing  of  the  law  conferred 
benefit  and  privilege. 

justified:  or,  'accounted  righteous.'  The  word  justified  is 
not  here  used  in  the  distinctive  sense  given  to  it  in  Paul's 
theology  (see  v.  i) ;  it  does  not  refer  here  to  the  initial  acceptance 
of  the  behever  before  God,  but  the  final  acquittal  of  him  who 
has  kept  the  law  at  the  judgement.  Paul  does  not  affirm  that  any 
man  will  be  so  justified.  It  is  a  conditional  statement.  If  any 
man  will  be  justified,  it  will  be  not  through  hearing  the  law,  but 
doing  it.  Afterwards  he  goes  on  to  shew  that  no  man  has  so 
kept  the  law,  and  that  therefore  no  man  on  this  ground  can  claim 
acquittal  before  God.  Verse  16  is  to  be  joined  to  verse  13,  the 
words  *  in  the  day '  are  a  temporal  adverbial  clause  belonging  to 
the  verb  '  shall  be  justified.'  Verses  14  and  15  are  to  be  regarded 
as  a  parenthesis  intended  to  explain  the  possession  by  the 
Gentiles  of  a  law  in  accordance  with  which  they,  even  as  the 
Jews,  will  be  acquitted  or  condemned. 

14.  Gentiles.  With  the  article  the  phrase  would  mean  all  the 
other  nations  as  contrasted  with  the  Jews  ;  the  absence  of  the 
article  calls  attention  to  their  character  as  non-Jews. 

which  have  no  law.  The  Greek,  by  its  use  of  two  negatives, 
one  of  which  denies  a  fact,  and  the  other  a  conception,  allows 
a  distinction  here  which  the  English  has  no  means  of  expressing. 
Paul  does  not  deny  as  a  lact  that  the  Gentiles  have  a  law,  for 
he  is  going  to  affirm  this.  What  he  declares  is  that  the  Jews 
regard  the  Gentiles  as  without  any  law,  because  without  the  law 
of  Moses. 


TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  15  109 

things  of  the  law,  these,  having  no  law,  are  a  law  unto 
themselves;    in   that   they  shew  the  work   of  the   law  15 
written  in  their  hearts,  their  conscience  bearing  witness 
therewith,   and   their   thoughts  one   with    another  ac- 

nature :  spontaneously  by  their  own  impulse,  in  contrast 
to  conscious  obedience  to  an  external  commandment.  Paul  is 
not  here  contrasting  nature  and  grace,  or  what  a  man  may  do 
without,  and  what  he  is  enabled  to  do  by,  God's  Spirit.  Paul 
would  undoubtedly  have  recognized  the  presence  and  operation 
of  God's  Spirit  even  in  what  the  Gentiles  do  by  nature. 

the  tMngs  of  the  law :  such  actions  as  the  law  commands. 

a  law  unto  themselves.  These  impulses  in  accordance  with 
the  law  were  a  standard  to  each  man,  and,  as  the  next  verse  shews, 
became  a  standard  for  others  also  ;  actions  done  without  con- 
sciousness of  a  rule  became  in  time  a  rule  to  be  consciously 
observed. 

IB.  the  work  of  the  law:  the  practical  effect  of  the  law, 
the  end  of  which  is  to  establish  the  distinction  between  right  and 
wrong.  As  the  external  code  constrains  or  restrains,  so  do  these 
internal  impulses. 

written:  a  reference  to  the  stone  tables  of  the  law  (Exod. 
xxiv.  12).     A  similar  contrast  is  made  in  2  Cor.  iii.  3. 

their  conscience  bearing"  witness  therewith.  Conscience 
means  literally  co-knowledge,  that  knowledge  which  a  man  has 
of  the  moral  quality  of  his  acts  along  with  his  knowledge  of  the 
acts.  As  used  by  Paul  in  accordance  with  the  usage  of  the 
contemporary  philosophical  schools,  the  term  means  the  faculty 
by  which  judgement  is  pronounced  on  actions  after  they  are 
done  ;  we  now  use  the  term  more  generally  for  the  capacity  for 
framing  moral  conceptions  and  recognizing  moral  obligations. 
There  is  a  double  witness  according  to  Paul — the  moral  quality 
of  the  actions  themselves,  and  the  moral  judgement  pronounced 
on  them  by  conscience. 

thoughts :  or, '  reasonings.'  If  the  former,  then  the  meaning 
is  not  intuitive  thoughts  such  as  those  of  conscience,  but  rather 
reflective,  their  inward  debate  on  the  significance  and  value  of 
their  moral  judgements.  Three  stages  in  moral  development  are 
indicated  :  first,  moral  actions  are  spontaneously  done  ;  secondly, 
moral  judgements  are  intuitively  pronounced  ;  thirdly,  moral  pro- 
blems are  reflectively  considered.  If,  however,  we  render  as  in  the 
R.  V.  margin,  '  reasonings,'  although  it  has  been  maintained  that 
the  original  word  does  not  mean  expressed  arguments,  then  the 
reference  may  be  the  discussions  or  treatises  on  moral  questions. 
Among  tlic   Gentiles  at  this  time  ethical  problems  claimed  the 


no  TO  THE  ROMANS   2.   16,17 

16  cusing  or  else  excusing  them  ;  in  the  day  when  God 
shall  judge  the  secrets  of  men,  according  to  my  gospel, 
by  Jesus  Christ. 

17  But  if  thou  bearest  the  name  of  a  Jew,  and  restest 

interest  of  many  thinkers  and  writers.  But  the  rendering  we 
adopt  must  depend  on  the  sense  we  assign  to  the  phrase  one 
with  anotlier.  Does  it  mean  one  thought  with  another  thought, 
an  inward  debate  ?  or  does  it  mean  one  person  with  another,  the 
moral  judgements  which  men  pronounce  mutually  ?  If  the  former, 
then  we  have  a  more  advanced  stage  of  moral  reflection  as  con- 
trasted with  the  less  developed  judgement  of  conscience.  If  the 
latter,  then  a  threefold  witness  is  enumerated  to  shew  that  the 
Gentiles  have  a  law.  (i)  The  moral  quality  of  their  acts  ;  (2)  the 
moral  judgement  each  man  pronounces  on  himself;  (3)  the  moral 
standards  by  which  men  judge  each  other.  The  latter  inter- 
pretation seems  on  the  whole  preferable. 

or  else :  '■  or  even,'  '■  or  it  may  be  * ;  excuse  is  less  likely  than 
accusation. 

16.  my  gospel.  The  O.  T.  had  affirmed  the  Divine  judgement. 
What  was  distinctive  of  Paul,  although  not  peculiar  to  him  among 
N.  T.  writers,  was  that  God's  agent  in  judgement  will  be  Christ 
(1  Cor.  iv.  5 ;  2  Cor.  v.  10  :  cf.  John  v.  27  ;  Acts  xvii.  31). 

(iii)  ii.  17-29.  The  failure  of  the  Jews.  Having  shewn  that 
the  Gentiles  have  sinned,  and  that  the  Jews  as  well  as  the 
Gentiles  are  subject  to  God's  universal  judgement,  Paul  forges 
the  third  link  in  his  chain  of  argument  by  shewing  that  the  Jews 
have  failed  to  keep  the  law  of  which  they  make  a  boast,  {a) 
Although  the  Jew  is  proud  of  his  name,  thinks  himself  secure  in 
his  possession  of  the  law,  plumes  himself  on  his  relation  to  God, 
claims  not  only  knowledge  and  insight  for  himself,  but  the  ability 
to  guide,  teach,  and  judge  others,  yet  so  far  from  applying  for 
himself  the  instruction  he  offers  others,  he  commits  all  the  offences — 
dishonest,  sensual,  and  impious — which  he  condemns  in  others ; 
and  thus  by  his  conduct  he  brings  dishonour  on  the  name  of 
God  (17-24).  (b)  The  fact  that  he  has  been  circumcised  gives 
him  a  sense  of  security,  although  circumcision  has  no  value  apart 
from  obedience  to  the  law,  and  obedience  has  value  even  without 
circumcision  ;  the  circumcised  Jew  may,  therefore,  lose  all  the 
privileges  of  which  circumcision  is  the  sign,  while  the  uncircum- 
cised  Gentile  may  secure  their  enjoyment,  for  not  the  ordinance, 
but  the  disposition  of  which  it  is  the  symbol,  submission  to  God, 
is  the  condition  of  being  blessed  (25-29 1. 

17.  Jew.  The  three  names  are  all  significant — Hebrew  calls 
attention  to  peculiarity  of  language  ;  Jew  to  distinction  of  race  ; 


TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  18-20  in 

upon  the  law,  and  gloriest  in  God,  and  knowest  his  will,  18 
and  approvest  the  things  that  are  excellent,  being  in- 
structed out  of  the  law,  and  art  confident  that  thou  19 
thyself  art  a  guide  of  the  blind,  a  light  of  them  that  are 
in  darkness,  a  corrector  of  the  foolish,  a  teacher  of  babes,  20 
having  in  the  law  the  form  of  knowledge  and  of  the  truth ; 


and  Israelite  to  privilege  of  relation  to  God.  Jew  is  here  used 
with  the  same  sense  as  Israelite,  and  denotes  a  member  of  the 
chosen  race. 

restest.  The  possession  of  the  law  was  regarded  as  a  pledge 
of  acceptance  with  God,  and  so  as  a  ground  of  self-confidence; 
the  Jew  thought  that  it  was  enough  that  he  had  the  law,  whether 
he  kept  it  or  not. 

gfloriest  in  God.  The  Jews  claimed  a  special  relation  to 
God,  but  this  consciousness,  instead  of  shewing  itself  in  humble 
dependence  and  loyal  obedience,  shewed  itself  in  conceit  and 
pride,  arrogance  and  censoriousness  towards  other  peoples  (Jer. 
ix.  24). 

18.  Ms  will :  or,  '  the  will.' 

approvest  the  thing's  that  are  excellent :  or,  '  provest  the 
things  that  differ '  (marg.).  The  latter  is  the  literal  sense,  but  as 
proving  may  result  in  approving,  and  approval  changes  difference 
into  excellence,  the  former  is  a  generally  recognized  secondary 
sense  of  the  phrase.  He  who  can  approve  the  things  that  are 
excellent  must  be  able  to  prove  the  things  that  differ,  hence  the 
literal  is  implied  in  the  secondary  sense,  which  is  here  preferable. 
Moral  discernment  is  what  is  meant, 

19.  a  gnide  of  the  blind.  Cf.  Matt.  xv.  14,  xxiii.  16.  Paul 
may  have  known  these  sayings,  or  Jesus  may  have  been  using 
a  common  proverbial  expression.  A  Jewish  saying  can  be  quoted 
in  illustration  :  '  When  the  shepherd  is  angry  with  the  sheep,  he 
blinds  their  leaders.' 

20.  a  corrector:  or,  'instructor.'  The  word  combines  both 
senses  of  training  and  teaching. 

babes :  morally  and  religiously  immature  persons,  as  the 
Gentiles  appeared  to  the  Jews.  The  term  is  used  in  a  kindly 
sense  of  the  common  people  who  heard  him  gladly,  as  contrasted 
with  'the  wise  and  prudent'  (Matt.  xi.  25)  by  Christ  himself 
Paul  uses  it  with  mild  censure  to  describe  the  Corinthian  converts 
(^i  Cor.  iii.  i). 

form.  In  2  Tim.  iii.  5  the  form  of  godliness  is  contrasted 
with  the  power  thereof.  While  this  contrast  between  outward 
appearance  and  inward  reality  might  be  here  implied,  it  is  not 


112  TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  21-23 

21  thou  therefore  that  teachest  another,  teachest  thou  not 
thyself?   thou  that  preachest  a  man  should  not  steal, 

3  2  dost  thou  steal?  thou  that  sayest  a  man  should  not 
commit  adultery,  dost  thou  commit  adultery  ?  thou  that 

23  abhorrest  idols,  dost  thou  rob  temples?  thou  who  gloriest 

thrown  into  any  prominence.  The  derivation  of  the  word  is 
rather  against  our  looking  for  this  contrast  between  semblance 
and  substance.  The  word  here  used  is  morphosis  (as  in  the 
English  word  'metamorphosis');  it  is  derived  from  morphe,  the 
word  used  in  Phil.  ii.  6,  'he  was  in  the  form  of  God,'  meaning 
essential  form  as  contrasted  with  schema  (English  scheme),  which 
is  used  for  external  figure.  Accordingly  '  form  '  should  be  taken 
here  to  mean  not  appearance,  pretext,  but  *  outline,'  'embodiment,' 
for  the  law  was  a  real  expression  of  Divine  truth  and  afforded 
a  genuine  knowledge  of  righteousness. 

21.  therefore.  Because  the  Jew  made  such  pretensions  he 
brought  on  himself  greater  obligations,  and  justified,  regarding 
himself,  higher  expectations.  The  verse  recalls  Jesus'  words 
about  the  scribes  who  laid  on  others  burdens  which  they  them- 
selves would  not  touch  ;^Luke  xi.  46). 

preachest:  in  synagogue  discourses. 

steal.  Paul  does  not  mean  to  charge  all  the  Jewish  teachers 
with  being  thieves,  adulterers,  robbers,  &c. ;  but  (i)  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  crime  and  vice  were  frequent  and  notorious  among 
even  the  religious  professors  among  the  Jews ;  and  (2)  the  ex- 
ternality of  the  Rabbinic  morality  allowed  the  unchecked  growth 
in  the  heart  of  evil  motives,  of  which  these  vices  and  crimes  were 
the  inevitable  result.  (Compare  Jesus'  teaching  in  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  Matt,  v.) 

22.  abhorrest  idols.  The  Jewish  aversion  to  idolatry,  which, 
as  the  O.  T.  history  shews,  only  a  long  discipline  by  God's 
providence  had  firmly  implanted,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent 
features  of  the  race,  often  so  offensively  displayed  as  to  excite 
the  anger  and  hate  of  other  nations  (Deut.  vii.  26  ;  Dan.  xii.  11  j 
Matt.  xxiv.  15).  Pilate,  soon  after  he  became  Procurator  of  Judaea, 
excited  a  most  violent  outbreak  of  Jewish  fanaticism,  by  '  allowing 
his  soldiers  to  bring  with  them  by  night  the  silver  eagles  and 
other  insignia  of  the  legions  from  Caesarea  to  the  Holy  City,  an 
act  which  they  regarded  as  idolatrous  profanation,'  So  strong 
was  the  feeling  shewn  that  he  had  to  give  way,  though  sullenly. 
Even  in  the  Christian  Church  this  abhorrence  of  idolatry  sur- 
vived. In  order  to  make  social  intercourse  between  Jewish  and 
Gentile  Christians  possible,  the  Apostolic  Council  in  Jerusalem 
desired  the  Gentile  believers  to  'abstain  from  things  sacrificed 


TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  24,35  113 

in  the  law,   through  thy  transgression  of  the  law  dis- 
honourest  thou  God  ?  For  the  name  of  God  is  blasphemed  24 
among  the  Gentiles  because  of  you,  even  as  it  is  written. 
For  circumcision  indeed  profiteth,  if  thou  be  a  doer  of  25 

to  idols'  (Acts  XV.  29).  In  the  church  at  Corinth,  the  question 
whether  food  that  had  been  offered  to  an  idol  might  be  eaten  or 
not  was  exciting  keen  controversy,  when  Paul  laid  down  the  rule 
that  those  who  had  no  scruples  should  shew  tender  consideration 
for  those  who  had  (i  Cor.  viii~. 

rob  temples:  or,  ^commit  sacrilege.'  The  town-clerk  of 
Ephesus  expressly  defended  Paul  against  this  charge  (Acts  xix. 
37)  ;  and  this  shews  that  the  charge  was  one  that  was  likely  to 
be  brought  against  Jews,  in  spite  of  their  abhorrence  of  idolatry, 
as  it  is  possible  the  Jews  thought  that  the  robbery  of  an  idol- 
temple  was  itself  a  meritorious  act,  even  as  Protestant  fanaticism 
has  regarded  the  destruction  of  images  in  Roman  Catholic  churches. 
The  Talmud  expressly  provides  that  no  Jew  shall  touch  anything 
connected  with  an  idol,  unless  it  has  been  previously  desecrated 
by  Gentiles. 

23.  Probably  this  verse  is  not  to  be  treated  as  a  question. 
There  is  a  change  of  construction  in  the  Greek  which  seems  to 
indicate  that,  having,  so  to  speak,  in  the  previous  verses  cross- 
examined  the  Jew  on  trial,  Paul  now  gives  his  verdict  against 
and  passes  sentence  on  him. 

24.  This  is  a  free  adaptation  from  Isa.  lii.  5.  Paul  follows 
the  Greek  version,  but  omits  '  continually  all  the  day  long,'  and 
changes  '  my '  into  '  of  God '  (cf.  also  Ezek,  xxxvi.  20-23).  The 
reference  in  the  original  passage  is  to  the  dishonour  done  to 
God's  name  by  the  oppressors  of  His  people.  Paul,  following  the 
lead  of  the  LXX,  sees  the  cause  of  the  dishonour  in  the  incon- 
sistent life  of  the  people  itself. 

25.  Paul  here  begins  another  subject.  The  possession  of  the 
law  was  the  Jews'  boast.  He  has  shewn  that  their  possession 
of  that  law,  because  unaccompanied  by  obedience,  is  no  profit 
to  themselves,  and  even  brings  dishonour  on  God.  Circumcision, 
even  more  than  the  possession  of  the  law,  was  the  peculiarity 
on  which  the  Jew  prided  himself,  while  for  it  he  was  most 
despised  by  the  Gentile.  Paul  now  shews  that  the  cultivation 
of  a  right  disposition,  not  the  performance  of  an  outward  rite, 
is  alone  of  value. 

profiteth.  Circumcision,  as  the  seal  of  Jewish  nationality, 
was  a  door  that  admitted  to  many  privileges  ;  but  Paul  affirms 
that  without  obedience  these  privileges  would  prove  valueless, 
and  the  Jew  might  as  well  have  been  an  uncircuincised  Gentile. 


114  TO  THE  ROMANS  2.  26-29 

the  law  :    but  if  thou  be  a  transgressor  of  the  law,  thy 

36  circumcision  is  become  uncircumcision.  If  therefore 
the  uncircumcision  keep  the  ordinances  of  the  law,  shall 
not  his  uncircumcision  be  reckoned  for  circumcision? 

37  and  shall  not  the  uncircumcision  which  is  by  nature,  if 
it  fulfil  the  law,  judge  thee,   who  with  the  letter  and 

28  circumcision  art  a  transgressor  of  the  law?  For  he  is  not 
a  Jew,  which  is  one  outwardly;  neither  is  that  circumcision, 

29  which  is  outward  in  the  flesh  :  but  he  is  a  Jew,  which  is 
one  inwardly :  and  circumcision  is  that  of  the  heart,  in 


doer  of  the  law.  This  does  not  mean  one  who  keeps  per- 
fectly every  commandment,  for  such  there  is  none ;  but  one  who 
sincerely  seeks  to  order  his  life  according  to  God's  will. 

26.  In  this  verse  Paul  goes  still  further.  Not  only  is  the  dis- 
obedient Jew  no  better  than  the  uncircumcised  Gentile,  but  even 
the  righteous  Gentile  is  as  good  as  the  circumcised  Jew. 

the  uncircumcision :  the  abstract  for  the  concrete  ;  the  un- 
circumcised man. 

be  reckoned:  as  a  substitute  or  an  equivalent  for  cir- 
cumcision. 

27.  uncircumcision  which  is  by  nature:  a  difficult  phrase, 
as  all  are  uncircumcised  by  nature  ;  but  it  is  the  counterpart  of 
the  phrase,  'Jews  by  nature'  (Gal.  ii.  15),  and  means  Gentiles 
born  and  bred,  and  as  such  remaining  uncircumcised. 

judge :  so  judge  as  to  condemn  (Matt.  xii.  41,  42). 

letter  and  circumcision :  either  the  letter  of  circumcision, 
with  the  hteral  commandment  to  circumcise  obeyed,  or  the  written 
law  generally  and  circumcision  (resuming  what  has  been  said  in 
verses  17-24).  The  word  '  letter,'  used  here  of  the  written  law, 
lays  emphasis  on  its  purely  external  relation  to  the  moral 
disposition  as  external  for  many  of  the  Jews  as  the  rite  of 
circumcision  itself. 

28.  Paul  often  contrasts  the  literal  Israel  after  the  flesh  with 
the  true  Israel  in  the  spirit.  Here  he  uses  Jew  not  as  a  race 
name,  but  as  equivalent  to  '  Israelite,'  the  religious  title,  descriptive 
of  the  possessor  of  the  covenant  privileges,  and  inheritor  of  the 
prophetic  promises.  He  here  declares  that  this  position  does  not 
depend  en  any  external  rite,  but  on  a  personal  disposition  ;Gal. 
iii.  7,  vi.  15,  16;  Phil.  iii.  2,  3  :  cf.  Rev.  iii.  o"*. 

29.  inwardly:  It'l.  'in  secret'  (Matt,  vi  4).  Cf.  i  Pet.  iii.  4, 
'  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart.' 


TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  i  115 

the  spirit,  not  in  the  letter ;  whose  praise  is  not  of  men, 
but  of  God. 
What  advantage  then  hath  the  Jew  ?   or  what  is  the  8 


the  spirit,  .  .  .  the  letter.  The  same  contrast  is  found  in 
vii.  6  and  2  Cor.  iii.  6-8.  (i)  The  'letter'  means  the  outward 
rite  ;  (2)  the  *  spirit '  the  inward  disposition  of  submission  to  God 
(Deut.  X.  16;  Jer.  iv.  4,  ix.  26;  Ezek.  xliv.  7  ;  Acts  vii.  51). 

praise.  There  is  a  play  on  words  here.  '  Jew '  is  derived 
from  Judah,  and  Judah  means  '  praise '  (Gen.  xxix.  35,  xlix.  8  :  cf. 
Hos.  xiv.  8  ;  Ephraim  means  '  faithfulness '). 

(iv)  iii.  1-8.  No  objections  valid.  Paul's  conclusion  that  Jew 
and  Gentile  have  alike  failed,  and  are  both  subject  to  God's 
judgement,  seems  from  the  Jewish  standpoint  open  to  several 
objections  which  may  have  presented  themselves  to  Paul's  own 
mind,  as  he  was  developing  his  argument,  or  may  more  probably 
have  been  brought  forward  by  those  engaged  in  controversy  with 
Paul.  These  objections  are  :  (i)  The  Jew  loses  all  advantage  of 
his  nationality ;  (2)  the  unbelief  of  the  Jews  has  led  to  God's 
canceUing  His  promises  ;  (3)  the  unbelief  which  exhibits  only 
the  more  clearly  God's  faithfulness  cannot  be  blamew^orthy  or 
justly  punished ;  (4)  evil  which  has  good  for  its  result,  to 
generalize  the  principle  involved  in  the  preceding  particular 
instance,  does  not  deserve  condemnation.  With  each  of  these 
objections  Paul  in  turn  deals,  (a)  The  Jew  is  not  deprived  of 
every  advantage,  for  he  has  still  many  privileges,  one  of  these 
being  his  possession  of  the  promises  of  God  regarding  the 
Messiah  (i,  2).  [In  chapter  ix.  4,  5,  Paul  gives  a  fuller  list  of 
these  privileges ;  in  xi.  28-32  he  shews  what  advantage  to  the 
Jew  his  possession  of  these  promises  will  ultimately  prove  ;  in 
XV.  8  he  states  that  to  confirm  these  promises  '  Christ  hath  been 
made  a  minister  of  the  circumcision.']  (b)  The  Jews'  unbelief 
does  not  lead  God  to  cancel  His  promises,  for  whatever  man  may 
do,  God  will  vindicate  His  fidelity,  and  at  the  bar  of  history  will 
by  man's  own  confession  be  acknowledged  righteous  (3,  4). 
'[c)  Nevertheless  God's  fulfilment  of  His  promises  in  spite  of 
man's  unbelief,  nay  it  may  be  even  by  means  of  that  unbelief, 
does  not  excuse  it,  and  does  not  render  God's  punishment  unjust ; 
for  God's  action  must  always  be  righteous,  as  otherwise  He 
could  not  be  the  judge  of  the  world  (5,  6).  (d)  There  can  be  only 
deserved  condemnation  on  those  who,  professing  to  carry  to  its 
logical  conclusion  this  statement,  justify  a  wrong  action  for 
a  right  end.  and  attribute  such  reasoning  to  the  Apostle  himself 
(7,  8;.     Although  the  rhetorical  form  is  not  strictly  observed,  yet 

I    2 


ii6  TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  2-4 

2  profit  of  circumcision ?     Much  every  way:    first  of  all, 

3  that  they  were  intrusted  with  the  oracles  of  God.  For 
what  if  some  were  without  faith  ?  shall  their  want  of  faith 

4  make  of  none  effect  the  faithfulness  of  God  ?  God 
forbid  :  yea,  let  God  be  found  true,  but  every  man 
a  liar;   as  it  is  written, 

the  logical  method  of  the  passage  is  a  question  by  an  assumed 
Jewish  objector,  followed  by  the  Apostle's  answer. 

1.  a^lvantagre :  lit.  'what  excess  of  privilege.' 

2.  first  of  all.  Paul  mentions  one  advantage  or  profit,  and 
then  breaks  off  abruptly.  As  by  the  oracles  of  God  he  probably 
means  especially  the  various  promises  made  by  God  to  His 
people,  the  mention  of  these  at  once  suggests  another  objection. 
The  promises  made  to  the  Jews  had  not  been  fulfilled  for  the 
Jews(ix.  4).  ,  .     , 

3.  The  argument  runs  thus  :  As  the  promises  were  given  to  the 
Jews,  they  must  be  fulfilled  for  the  Jews,  else  God  has  cancelled 
them,  and  so  is  proved  unfaithful.  So  reasons  the  assumed  Jewish 
objector,  Paul's  answer  is  that  this  reasoning  must  be  declared 
false,  and  God  must  be  left  free  to  fulfil  His  promises  in  any  way 
He  may  please.  However  untrue  man's  reasonings  may  be 
made  to  appear,  God's  character  must  at  any  cost  be  vindicated. 

faith  .  .  .  faithfulness:  the  same  Greek  word  is  used  in 
both  cases,  and  may  have  either  meaning.  Possibly  in  this 
passage  we  should  rendei  the  word  *  faithfulness  *  in  both  places, 
the  Jews  being  blamed  not  for  unbelief,  but  for  failure  in  their 
duty.  In  the  preceding  passage  it  is  certainly  moral  failure  that 
is  condemned,  and  nothing,  has  as  yet  been  said  about  Jewish 
unbelief.  As  these  verses,  however,  deal  with  the  fulfilment  of 
God's  promises,  in  which  God  shews  His  faithfulness,  what  we 
should  expect  as  required  in  man  so  that  he  may  enjoy  this 
fulfilment  is  '  faith,'  as  trust  in  God's  faithfulness.  Probably  then 
the  R.  V.  rendering  is  in  both  cases  right. 

4.  God  forbid:  lit.  *be  it  not  so.'  It  is  with  this  phrase  Paul 
always  rejects  any  objection  to  his  argument  which  seems  to  him 
pernicious  or  profane. 

true  .  .  .  liar.  God  must  be  left  free  to  vindicate  His 
faithfulness  in  whatever  way  may  seem  good  to  Him,  even 
although  that  method  should  contradict  all  man's  calculations 
and  expectations. 

as  it  is  written:  (i)  The  words  that  follow  are  taken  from 
the  Greek  version  of  Psalm  li.  4.  The  changes  in  the  Greek 
version  represent  God  as  on  His  trial  in  His  dealings  with  the 
Psalmist,  and  as  vindicated  in  His  character.     (2)  According  to 


TO  THE  ROMANS   3.  5  117 

That  thou  mightest  be  justified  in  thy  words, 
And  mightest  prevail  when  thou  comest  into  judge- 
ment. 
But  if  our  unrighteousness  commendeth  the  righteous-  5 
ness  of  God,  what  shall  we  say?     Is  God  unrighteous 
who  visiteth  with  wrath  ?     (I  speak  after  the  manner  of 

the  common  view  this  Psalm  was  composed  by  David,  after  his 
sin  with  Bathsheba  had  been  rebuked  and  punished  ;  and  the 
thought  of  the  verse  is  that  one  effect  of  sin  is  to  display  all  the 
more  clearly  God's  righteousness  and  justice  in  the  punishment 
He  inflicts  upon  it.  Even  if  we  cannot  so  definitely  fix  the 
occasion  of  the  Psalm,  the  truth  thus  stated  remains  unchanged. 
(3)  The  meaning  Paul  gives  the  words  is  this,  God  overrules  all 
evil  so  as  to  justify  His  method  and  vindicate  His  character  at 
the  bar  of  history. 

5.  xinrig'liteousuess :  a  more  general  term  than  unbelief,  as 
righteousness  is  also  more  general  than  faithfulness.  Paul  gene- 
ralizes the  argument.  There  are  two  syllogisms  implied,  although 
the  argument  is  in  condensed  form :  (i)  A  judge  must  be  righteous. 
God  is  a  judge.  Therefore  God  is  righteous.  (2)  Righteousness 
includes  faithfulness.  God  is  righteous.  Therefore  God  is  also 
faithful. 

rigrhteousness  of  God.  Is  the  phrase  used  here  generally 
for  the  moral  perfection  of  the  Divine  character,  or  is  it  used  in 
the  distinctively  Pauline  sense,  discussed  in  note  on  i.  17?  The 
latter  meaning  is  not  impossible.  The  argument  would  be  then 
as  follows :  If  it  is  the  sin  of  man  which  is  the  occasion  of,  and 
reason  for,  the  revelation  of  the  righteousness  of  God  in  accepting 
sinners,  why  should  God  punish  sin,  and  the  sinner  regard  him- 
self as  blameworthy  ?  The  context  makes  this  sense,  however, 
improbable,  as  Paul  is  here  stating  the  objection  a  Jew  might  be 
supposed  to  put  forward,  and  a  Jewish  objector  could  not  be 
presented  using  the  phrase  not  in  the  common  Jewish,  but  the 
distinctively  Pauline  sense. 

what  shall  we  say?  Another  phrase  which,  like  'God 
forbid,'  is  pecuHar  to  this  Epistle,  and  is  used  to  carry  on  the 
argument  from  point  to  point. 

Is  God  nnrig-hteous  ?  The  objector's  question  should  properly 
be,  *  Is  not  God  unrighteous  ? '  to  which  the  proper  answer  would 
be,  *  Yes,  He  is.'  But  Paul,  probably  from  a  sense  of  reverence, 
puts  the  question  so  that  the  answer  to  be  expected  is  '  No.' 
He  thus  sacrifices  rhetorical  form  to  pious  feeling. 

who  visiteth  with  wrath:  lit.  *the  inflicter  of  the  anger,' 
referring  to  the  last  judgement. 


ii8  TO  THE  ROMANS  3,  6, '/ 

6  men.)     God  forbid :  for  then  how  shall  God  judge  the 

7  world  ?      But    if   the   truth   of  God    through    my    lie 
abounded  unto  his  glor}%  why  am  I  also  still  judged  as 

Z  speak  after  the  manner  of  men.  This  is  another  character- 
istic Pauline  phrase,  used  when  the  analogy  between  things 
human  and  Divine  seems  for  his  sense  of  reverence  to  have  been 
carried  so  far  as  to  need  some  sort  of  apology. 

6.  how  shall  God  judgfe  the  world?  It  was  a  theological 
axiom  for  Paul  and  those  with  whom  he  was  arguing  ♦^hat  there 
was  to  be  a  judgement  of  the  world  by  God.  Anything  that  made 
it  impossible  to  maintain  this  conviction  must  be  denied.  If  God 
be  convicted  of  injustice  in  His  dealings  with  men  in  history,  His 
future  judgement  cannot  be  relied  on  as  just.  Thus  the  very 
foundations  of  moral  responsibility  would  be  removed.  But  as 
God  will  judge  the  world  He  cannot  be  unjust  in  any  of  His 
dealings.  Divesting  this  conception  of  a  Divine  judgement  of  all 
figurative  forms,  derived  from  human  law-courts,  and  conceiving 
the  Divine  judgement  as  unceasingly  and  unfalteringly  exercised 
through  the  moral  order  of  the  world  which  God  has  established 
and  maintains — a  moral  order  which  punishes  sin  by  its  con- 
sequences outward  and  inward,  and  rewards  righteousness  by  its 
effects  on  character  and  condition— this  truth  may  be  regarded  as 
axiomatic  for  us,  even  as  it  was  for  Paul  and  his  opponents. 
the  world:  all  mankind. 

f,  8.  In  verses  5  and  6  the  question  was  considered  from  the 
side  of  God.  If  man's  sin  displays  God's  righteousness,  how  can 
God  be  just  in  punishing?  In  verse  7  the  side  of  man  is  taken, 
and  Paul,  from  ^  motives  of  delicacy,'  represents  himself  and  not 
his  opponent  as  arguing  thus..  If  my  unbelief  shews  God's  fidelity, 
what  blame  attaches  to  me?  But  in  verse  8  the  argument  is 
somewhat  complicated  by  the  introduction  of  a  consideration 
apart  from  the  immediate  subject  of  discussion.  Paul's  doctrine 
of  justification  by  faith  alone  apart  from  works  had  been  objected 
to  on  the  ground  that  it  encouraged  continuance  in  sin  (this 
objection  is  dealt  with  fully  in  chap.  vi).  Paul  here  so  far 
anticipates  this  discussion,  inasmuch  as  the  charge  brought  against 
him  resembles  the  excuse  made  by  his  Jewish  objector,  if  evil  may 
prove  a  means  of  good,  it  is  neither  to  be  blamed  nor  to  be 
punished,  but  rather  may  be  done.  His  sole  answer  is  that 
alike  the  man  who  makes  such  an  excuse  for  his  unbelief  and  the 
man  who  makes  such  a  charge  against  himself  (Paul)  deserve  all 
the  condemnation  that  may  fall  on  them. 

*7.  truth:  fidelity  of  God  to  His  promises. 
lie :  virtual  denial   of  these   promises   by  unbelief  in  their 
fulfilment. 


TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  8,9  119 

a  sinner  ?  and  why  not  (as  we  be  slanderously  reported,  8 
and  as  some  affirm  that  we  say),  Let  us  do  evil,  that 
good  may  come  ?  whose  condemnation  is  just. 

What  then  ?  are  we  in  worse  case  than  they  ?     No,  9 

8.  and  why  not.  There  is  an  omission  here  which  may  be 
supplied  in  one  of  two  ways,  (i)  And  why  should  we  not  say. 
(2)  And  why  should  we  not  do  evil.  There  is  no  great  diflference 
in  the  sense.  In  the  former  case  verse  7  affords  the  justifica- 
tion for  the  saying  with  which  the  Apostle  is  charged  falsely ;  in 
the  latter  case  verse  7  offers  an  excuse  for  the  action  which  the 
Apostle  is  falsely  accused  as  justifying, 

condemnation:  better,  'judgement,'  if 'judged*  is  kept  in  verse 
7  ;  or  if  *  condemnation  '  is  kept  here,  '  condemned '  should  be  read 
in  verse  7.  The  same  word  is  used  in  both  cases,  and  the  force 
of  the  argument  is  weakened  by  a  different  rendering. 

(v)  iii.  9-20.  The  Scripture  proof  of  the  fact.  As  none  of  the 
objections  which  the  Jew  may  bring  forward  against  the  judge- 
ment pronounced  on  him  as  alike  sinful  with  the  Gentile  are  valid, 
the  charge  stands,  and  it  can  be  confirmed  by  the  testimony  of 
the  Scriptures,  which  in  varying  language,  yet  with  uniform 
purpose,  represent  all  men  as  depraved,  estranged  from  God, 
opposed  to  one  another,  (a)  Although  greater  privilege  involves 
greater  responsibility,  and  so  the  Jew  may  appear  to  have  even 
less  reason  than  the  Gentile  to  expect  exemption  from  judgement, 
yet  all  the  argument  demands,  and  Paul  desires  to  do,  is  to  assert 
that  all  men,  without  exception,  are  sinners  (verse  9).  {b)  The 
Scriptures  shew  that  through  ignorance  of  God  all  men  have 
morally  become  worse,  have  sunk  into  manifold  forms  of  sin, 
deceit,  malice,  violence,  and  have  at  last  lost  all  sense  of  moral 
restraint  (10-18).  (c)  To  the  Jew,  as  the  possessor  of  the  law, 
this  declaration  of  universal  sinfulness  has  immediate  reference ; 
the  law  awakens  the  sense  of  sinfulness,  it  announces  God's 
judgement,  it  forbids  all  self-confidence,  but  it  offers  no  man  the 
prospect  of  acquittal  or  reward  (19,  20). 

In  this  passage  Paul  confirms  his  argument  by  an  appeal  to  the 
Scriptures,  which  for  all  his  readers  were  absolutely  authoritative. 
He  combines  a  number  of  passages,  sometimes  quoting  them 
exactly,  sometimes  introducing  modifications  to  suit  his  purpose. 
Then  having  given  this  proof  he  affirms  the  negative  conclusion — 
no  man  righteous — which  prepares  for  his  positive  declaration — 
righteousness  for  all  in  Christ — which  is  expounded  in  the  next 
section.  The  old  system  of  law  has  failed  ;  the  world  needs,  and 
is  ready  for,  the  new  system  of  grace.  One  cannot  understand  for 
what  reason  the  Revisers  did  not  end  one  paragraph  at  verse  20 


I20  TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  lo 

in  no  wise :    for  we  before  laid  to  the  charge  both  of 
10  Jews  and  Greeks,  that  they  are  all  under  sin ;  as  it  is 
written, 

and  begin  another  at  verse  21 ;    for  one  subject  is  ended  with 
verse  20,  and  another  is  begun  with  verse  21. 

9.  what  then  (follows)  ?   Another  of  Paul's  phrases  to  express 
a  transition  in  his  argument. 

are  we  in  worse  case  than  they  ?  or,  *  do  we  excuse  our- 
selves?' (marg.)  Both  phrases  are  possible  renderings  of  a  single 
Greek  word,  the  meaning  of  which  it  is  very  difficult  to  fix. 
Against  the  rendering  of  the  margin  a  grammatical  objection  may 
be  brought.  The  rendering  of  the  text  is  adopted  by  many  of  the 
best  scholars,  but  the  context  seems  to  be  against  it.  As  Paul  has 
asserted  in  verse  2  that  the  Jew,  as  compared  with  the  Gentile, 
has  much  advantage  every  way,  is  he  likely  in  verse  9  to  suggest 
that  the  Jew  may  be  in  worse  case  than  the  Gentile  ?  Yes,  if  we 
distinguish  the  respects  in  which  the  comparison  is  made  in  each 
case.  The  Jew  has  undoubtedly  the  advantage  in  his  historical 
position  and  function.  But  iriasmuch  as  greater  privilege  involves 
greater  responsibility,  the  Jew's  failure  may  bring  on  him  a  severer 
doom  than  the  failure  of  the  Gentile.  In  this  way  the  Jew  maj' 
be,  not  in  spite  of,  but  because  of,  his  advantage,  in  worse  case 
than  the  Gentile.  The  rendering  of  the  A.  V.,  'Are  we  better 
than  they?'  gives  the  word  a  meaning  contrary  to  usage. 

No,  in  no  wise.  This  is  not  an  absolute  denial  of  the 
question  asked,  but  a  peremptory  refusal  to  discuss  it.  It  is  not 
his  intention  to  prove  the  superiority  of  Gentile  to  Jew  in 
contesting  the  superiority  of  the  Jew  to  the  Gentile.  What  he 
aims  at  is  to  shew  their  equaKty  in  guilt. 

under  sin.  The  Greek  suggests  motion,  '  fallen  under  sin.* 
This  is  the  first  occurrence  of  the  word  'sin,'  which  is  found 
nearly  fifty  times  in  the  first  eight  chapters.  While  the  Greek 
word  means  '  missing  the  mark,'  Paul  attaches  a  positive  signifi- 
cance to  the  term.  He  does  not  conceive  sin  primarily  as  an 
individual  act  or  personal  habit.  He  personifies  sin  as  the  per- 
manent and  universal  source  of  all  sinning.  Through  Adam's 
disobedience  it  entered  into  the  world,  and  brought  death  as  its 
companion  (v.  12).  It  henceforth  reigns  over  the  race  (v.  21, 
vi.  12)  ;  it  abounds  (v.  20)  ;  it  has  dominion  (vi.  14) ;  it  makes 
all  mankind  its  slaves  (vi.  6,  20,  vii.  14)  ;  it  administers  a  law 
(vii.  23) ;  it  pays  the  wages  of  death  (vi.  23^, ;  it  takes  up  its 
abode  in  the  individual  man  (vii.  17,  20),  especially  in  his 
flesh  (viii.  3)  ;  it  makes  his  body  its  instrument  (vi.  6^  ;  it  may 
become  dormant,  but  the  law  revives  it  (vii.  9)  ;  and  it  takes 
occasion  from  the  commandment  to  provoke  the  will  to  break  the 


TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  ir,  12  121 

There  is  none  righteous,  no,  not  one  • 
There  is  none  that  understandeth,  11 

There  is  none  that  seeketh  after  God ; 
They  have   all    turned    aside,   they  are    together  12 
become  unprofitable; 

law  (vii.  8).  All  the  law  can  do  is  to  bring  the  consciousness  of 
sin,  and  even  to  provoke  sin  :  it  cannot  deliver  from  sin.  But 
the  believer  is  dead  to  sin  (vi.  2,  11),  and  so  freed  from  its  law, 
dominion,  power,  servitude  (vi.  7).  The  first  sin,  as  the  violation 
of  a  positive  commandment,  was  a  'transgression'  or  a  'trespass' 
(a  going  over  the  line  or  a  falHng  away  v.  14,  15) ;  until  the  law 
was  given  to  mankind  sin  was  not  imputed  as  guilt  (v.  13),  but  as 
soon  as  the  law  came,  sin  was  reckoned  as  transgression,  and 
so  incurred  condemnation  (iv.  15).  Paul  in  his  doctrine  of  sin 
recognizes  the  dependence  of  the  individual  man  on  the  race  ;  he 
inherits  the  tendency  to  sin,  his  environment  evokes  and  develops 
that  tendency  ;  temptations  and  allurements  to  sin  come  to  each 
man  from  his  fellow  men  ;  the  solidarity  of  the  race  gives  to  sin 
its  permanence  and  universality.  There  is  nothing  in  Paul's 
doctrine  of  sin  untrue  to  the  facts  of  human  experience.  To  the 
history  of  sin  in  the  world,  as  he  gives  it,  we  must  return  in  the 
notes  on  v.  12-21. 

10.  as  it  is  written.  This  series  of  quotations  is  made 
up  as  follows :  Pss.  xiv.  1-3  (verse  i  freely  quoted,  2  abridged, 
3  exactly),  v,  9  (exactly),  cxl.  3  (exactly),  x.  7  (freely)  ;  Isa.  lix. 
7,  8  (abridged):  Ps.  xxxvi.  i  (exactly).  AH  these  quotations  are 
from  the  Greek  version.  As  the  first  of  the  quotations  is  intended 
as  a  general  description,  it  is,  therefore,  apposite  as  a  scriptural 
proof  of  the  proposition  of  universal  sinfulness.  But  as  the  second, 
third,  and  fourth  quotations  are  descriptive  of  the  Psalmist's 
oppressors,  as  the  fifth  from  Isaiah  is  appHed  to  the  con- 
temporaries of  the  prophet  as  affording  a  reason  for  the  captivity, 
and  as  the  sixth  is  expressly  assigned  to  the  wicked,  all  must  be 
taken  as  illustrations  rather  than  as  proofs  of  the  Apostle's  thesis. 

There  is  none  rig'hteous,  no,  not  one.  This  is  probably  not 
a  general  statement  by  Paul  himself  introducing  the  series  of 
quotations,  but  is  intended  to  be  a  quotation  from  Ps.  xiv.  i,  last 
clause.  The  change  Paul  makes  is  easily  explained  ;  it  is  intended 
to  bring  the  passage  into  more  close  connexion  with  his  argument 
about  the  righteousness  which  none  can  attain  by  works,  but 
which  alt  must  receive  in  faith. 

11.  Paul  has  abridged  Ps.  xiv.  a. 

12.  Quoted  from  Ps.  xiv.  3. 
together :  one  and  all. 


122  TO  THE  ROMANS    3.  13-19 

There  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no    not  so  much 
as  one : 

13  Their  throat  is  an  open  sepulchre ; 

With  their  tongues  they  have  used  deceit : 
The  poison  of  asps  is  under  their  lips  : 

14  Whose  mouth  is  full  of  cursing  and  bitterness  : 

15  Their  feet  are  swift  to  shed  blood  ; 

16  Destruction  and  misery  are  in  their  ways ; 

J  7  And  the  way  of  peace  have  they  not  known  : 

1 8  There  is  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes. 

19  Now  we  know  that  what  things  soever  the  law  saith, 

become  unprofitable:  the  Hebrew  means  'to  go  bad,' 
'  become  sour/  like  milk. 

13.  Quoted  from  Ps.  v.  9. 

open  sepulchre :  a  yawning  pit,  not  only  into  which  a  man 
may  fall,  but  also  from  which  come  pestilent  vapours. 

used  deceit.  The  sense  of  the  Hebrew  is  *  their  tongue  do 
thej'  make  smooth  *  (R.  V.  margin).  Paul  follows  the  LXX,  which 
here  corresponds  closely  with  the  Hebrew.  The  last  clause  of 
the  verse  is  quoted  from  Ps.  cxl.  3. 

under  their  lips.  The  poison-bag  of  the  serpent  is  placed 
as  here  described,  and  the  venom  is  connected  not  with  the 
forked  tongue,  but  with  the  bite. 

14.  Paul  here  quotes  freely  the  Greek  version  of  Ps.  x.  7.  Tlie 
Hebrew  has  '  deceit '  for  the  Greek  bitterness. 

15-17.  Paul  quotes  freely  from  the  Greek  version  of  Isa,  lix.  7, 8. 

18.  Quoted  from  Ps.  xxxvi.  i.  Paul  begins  this  set  of  quota- 
tions with  a  general  statement  of  man's  sinfulness,  he  then  describes 
some  of  its  manifestations,  and  here  he  closes  with  an  indication 
of  the  origin  of  sin — wickedness  springs  from  godlessness,  even  as 
in  i.  18,  32,  immorality  is  traced  back  to  idolatry. 

19.  the  law.  Is  this  the  law  strictly  so  called,  the  Pentateuch, 
or  the  O.  T.  generally,  which  was  divided  into  three  collections 
of  books,  entitled  law,  prophets,  and  writings  ?  But  the  full  title 
law,  prophets,  and  writings  was  not  usually  used,  and  all  three 
divisions  might  be  referred  to  under  the  title  law,  or  law  and 
prophets.  If  we  understand  •  the  law'  here  as  meaning  only  the 
first  division  of  the  Jewish  canon,  then  it  is  not  the  law  that 
speaks  in  the  preceding  quotations,  as  none  of  them  is  from  the 
Pentateuch  ;  but  to  the  testimon}''  of  the  writings  :  Psalms)  and 
the  prophets  (Isaiah)  regarding  universal  human  sinfulness  the 
law  now  adds  its  declaration  regarding  the  necessary'  connexion 


TO  THE  ROMANS   3.  20,  21  123 

it  speaketh  to  them  that  are  under  the  law ;   that  every 
mouth  may  be  stopped,  and  all  the  world  may  be  brought 
under  the  judgement  of  God :  because  by  the  works  of  20 
the  law  shall  no  flesh  be  justified  in  his  sight :  for  through 
the  law  cometh  the  knowledge  of  sin.      But  now  apart  21 

between  sin  and  ])enalt3'',  guilt  and  judgement,  not  in  an  express 
quotation,  but  in  the  Apostle's  own  summing  up  of  the  teaching 
of  the  law.  If,  however,  the  law  is  used  for  the  O.  T.  generally, 
then  all  the  previous  quotations  are  included  in  what  the  law  says 
especially  to  those  under  the  law,  that  is,  the  Jews.  The  in- 
tention of  the  law's  testimony  is  to  produce  a  conviction  of  guilt, 
and  so  arouse  an  expectation  of  judgement.  The  Jews  of  all 
nations  had  least  excuse  for  ignorance  of  man's  sinfulness,  guilt, 
and  judgement.  Whether  we  can  adopt  this  latter  interpretation 
or  not  depends  on  the  probability  of  Paul's  having  used  'law'  in 
this  extended  sense.  Against  the  assumption  it  has  been  argued, 
(i)  That  Paul  only  once  uses  law  as  equivalent  to  the  O.  T.  (i  Cor. 
xiv.  21,  where  he  is  quoting  Isa.  xxviii.  ii) ;  (2)  that  in  the  phrase 
' under  the  law,'  law  must  be  used  in  the  restricted  sense;  and  (3, 
that  in  verse  21,  in  the  phrase  'the  law  and  the  prophets,'  Paul 
expressly  distinguishes  the  law  from  the  prophets.  But  these 
objections  may  be  satisfactorily  met.  (i  If  Paul  once  uses  law 
in  the  wider  sense,  he  may  do  so  again.  (2'  He  may  pass  from 
one  sense  of  a  word  to  another.  (3,  The  description  of  the  O.  T. 
in  the  N.  T.  writings  varies,  and  we  need  not  look  for  uniformity. 
It  is  not  improbable  then  that  Paul  describes  the  quotations  from 
the  Psalms  and  Isaiah  as  the  testimony  of  the  law. 

saith  .  .  .  speaketli :  the  Greek  words  thus  rendered  dis- 
tinguish the  mental  content  from  the  physical  utterance  of  speech. 

stopped:  left  without  excuse  (ii.  i). 
20.  As  the  law  can  bring  only  conviction  of  sin,  but  cannot 
enable  a  man  to  resist  sin,  and  so  to  fulfil  all  the  demands  of  the 
law  as  to  be  acquitted   in  God's  judgement,  every  man  is  left 
under  condemnation  liable  to  punishment. 

works  of  tli3  law :  such  works  as  are  commanded  by  the  law. 

flesh :  a  Hebrew  use  for  a  man  in  his  creaturely  weakness  as 
distinguished  from  God.  Here  there  is  no  suggestion  of  the  dis- 
tinctively Pauline  sense  of  the  word,  to  which  attention  will 
afterwards  be  called. 

knowledgfe.  The  Greek  word  means  full,  clear,  adequate 
knowledge  :  law  develops  conscience.  The  statement  of  the 
function  of  the  law  to  awaken  consciousness  of  sin.  and  of  the 
impotence  of  the  law  in  enforcing  its  demands  in  this  twentieth 
verse,  is  based  here  on  the  testimony  of  Scripture  to  man's  sinful- 


124  TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  22 

from  the  law  a  righteousness  of  God  hath  been  manifested, 
22  being  witnessed  by  the  law  and  the  prophets ;  even  the 

ness.  It  is  a  deduction  from  facts  thus  attested.  Because  the  law 
has  not  been  obeyed,  therefore  it  cannot  be  obeyed.  A  psycho- 
logical demonstration  of  this  deduction  is  offered  by  Paul  in  vii. 
7-25,  in  which  he  assumes  that  his  own  experience  is  typical  of 
that  of  the  race.  Here  ends  the  proof  that  righteousness  has  not 
been  hitherto  attained,  and  that,  therefore,  God's  wrath  is  awaiting 
the  world,  unless  some  other  method  of  righteousness  than  that 
of  obedience  to  law  can  be  discovered.  It  is  the  Apostle's  con- 
sciousness of  having  discovered  this  new  method  of  righteousness 
that  has  for  him  put  beyond  all  doubt  whatever  the  failure  of  the 
old  method.  And  it  is  in  order  that  others  may  be  led  to  adopt 
the  new  method  that  he  so  faithfully  presses  home  on  the 
conscience  of  all  men  this  failure.  He  next  displays  the  new 
method  of  righteousness. 

(2)  iii.  21-31.  Righteousness  provided  in  Christ  (a)  In  the  new 
order  God  Himself  provides  righteousness  for  man.  (i)  It  is 
apart  from  the  law,  yet  is  borne  witness  to  by  law  and  prophets 
(21).  (2)  As  all  have  need  of  it,  it  is  a  free  gift  to  all  who  believe 
in  Christ  (22,  23).  (3)  It  offers  pardon  to  all  as  part  of  a  complete 
deliverance  in  Christ  from  the  power,  the  guilt,  the  doom  of  sin 
(24).  (4)  It  has  been  secured  by  the  atoning  sacrifice  of  Christ, 
in  which  God  so  clearly  and  fully  displays  His  condemnation  and 
punishment  of  sin  as  to  remove  any  doubt  about  His  attitude  to 
sin,  which  might  be  due  to  His  patience  with  the  sins  which  He 
passed  over  without  due  judgement  in  times  past,  or  which 
might  be  encouraged  by  the  pardon  which  He  now  offers  to  the 
sinful  (25,  26).  (b)  From  these  characteristics  of  God's  righteous- 
ness in  Christ  two  consequences  follow,  (i)  Those  who  possess  it 
have  no  reason  for  conceit  or  pride,  as  they  in  no  way  owe  it  to 
their  merits  (27,  28).  (2)  It  is  intended  for  all  mankind,  as  all  men 
equally  are  regarded  by  God,  and  are  capable  of  the  iaith  which 
claims  it  (29,  30).  ,(c)  The  objection  that  the  value  and  authority 
of  the  la-w  are  denied  in  the  demand  for  faith  alone  is  not  valid, 
as  it  will  be  shewn  subsequently  that  this  new  method  confirms 
the  old  (31). 

21.  But  now:  a  temporal  as  well  as  a  logical  contrast;  not 
only  two  states,  the  state  under  law  and  under  grace,  are  opposed, 
but  also  two  periods,  the  period  before  and  the  period  after  Christ. 
The  practice  of  Christendom  to  reckon  years  from  the  supposed 
date  of  Christ's  birth  is  its  testimony  to  the  greatness  of  the 
change  in  the  world's  history  Christ  has  made. 

apart  from  the  law :  not  dependent  on,  or  subordinate  to,  the 
law,  but  as  an  alternative  to,  nay  even  a  substitute  for,  the  law. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   3.  22  125 

righteousness  of  God  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  unto 

This  separation  of  the  new  from  the  old  order  appears  in  two 
respects,  (i)  The  sacrifice  of  Christ,  by  which  the  new  order 
was  instituted  (i  Cor.  xi.  25),  was  not  in  any  way  provided  for, 
required  by,  or  in  accordance  with  the  statutes  or  institutions  of 
the  law.  (2)  The  law  was  abolished  for  all  believers,  and  faith 
in  Christ  took  its  place. 

rierliteonsiiess  of  God.  See  the  extended  note  on  i.  17.  Here 
the  Divine  condition,  which  had  to  be  fulfilled  before  this 
righteousness  could  be  revealed — the  sacrifice  of  Christ — is  for 
the  first  time  mentioned  (v.  25)  ;  and  the  human  condition  of  its 
appropriation — faith — is  repeated,  and  now  more  clearly  defined  as 
its  object  is  given  (v.  22). 

manifested.  This  verb  is  used  in  the  N.  T.  especially  of 
the  Incarnation  as  a  counsel  of  the  invisible  God  gradually  realized 
in  human  history  and  thus  made  visible  to  man  (i  Tim.  iii.  16 ; 
Heb.  ix.  26 ;  i  Pet.  i.  20 ;  i  John  iii.  5,  8).  The  same  term  is 
applied  to  Christ's  appearances  after  his  Resurrection  (Mark  xvi. 
12,  14;  John  xxi.  14)  and  at  his  Second  Advent  (i  Pet.  v.  4  and 
I  John  ii.  28,  iii.  2}.  The  grace  of  God  is  manifested  in  the 
appearing  of  Christ  (2  Tim.  i.  10),  and  'eternal  life'  in  his 
Incarnation  (i  John  i.  2). 

witnessed.  While  independent  of  law,  this  righteousness 
was  prepared  for  by  law  in  ritual  types,  prophetic  predictions, 
the  religious  necessities  and  aspirations  developed  in  Hebrew 
history  (see  i.  2). 

22.  faith  in  Jesns  Christ:  or,  'faith  of  Jesus  Christ.'  The 
Greek  has  the  genitive  case,  which  is  capable  of  expressing  either 
the  object  or  the  possessor  of  the  faith.  While  it  has  generally 
been  taken  for  granted  that  the  meaning  must  be  the  faith  of  the 
believers  in  Christ,  it  has  been  recently  maintained  that  what  is 
meant  is  the  faith  which  Christ  himself  exercised,  which  bore  him 
through  the  trial  of  the  cross,  which  is  the  significant  and  valuable 
spiritual  and  ethical  element  in  his  sacrifice,  without  which  his 
death  could  not  have  been  offered  as  an  acceptable  sacrifice  unto 
God,  and  which  must  be  reproduced  in  the  believer's  experience 
that  he  may  benefit  by  the  atonement  made  by  Christ.  Probably 
in  Heb.  xii.  2  Jesus  is  set  before  us  as  the  great  example  of  faith 
in  his  sacrifice.  Certainly  Paul  recognizes  the  spiritual  and 
ethical  element  in  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  and  insists  on  the 
reproduction  of  Christ's  experience  in  the  believer,  as  will  be 
shown  in  the  notes  on  vi.  i-ii.  The  faith  of  which  Christ  is  the 
object  appropriates  Christ  in  his  fullness,  claims  as  motive  and 
type  all  Christ  experienced,  endured,  accomplished;  so  that 
a  fully  developed  faith  in  Christ  includes  the  faith  of  Christ. 
This  interpretation  -  faith  of  Christ  -  seems  inadmissible,  however, 


126  TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  23,24 

23  all  them  that  believe ;   for  there  is  no  distinction ;   for 

24  all  have  sinned,  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  of  God ;  being 
justified  freely  by  his  grace  through  the  redemption  that 


in  some  of  the  passages  in  which  the  phrase  occurs,  and  there- 
fore must  be  held  improbable. 

unto  all.  Some  ancient  authorities  add  *  and  upon  all ' 
(marg.)  ;  but  this  seems  to  be  a  combination  of  two  alternative 
readings.  '  Unto  '  expresses  the  destination  of  the  righteousness 
of  God  for  all ;  *  upon/  its  inclusion  of  all. 

no  distinction :  a  glance  back  to  the  argument  in  ii.  1-16. 

23.  This  verse  again  states  the  conclusion  of  the  previous 
argument,  i.  18 — iii.  20.  It  gives  the  reason  for  the  statement 
of  the  previous  verse ;  a  universal  disease  demands  a  universal 
remedy  ;  impartial  grace  corresponds  with  impartial  judgement. 

fall  short.  The  Greek  word  used  here  is  rendered  '  to  be  in 
want '  (Luke  xv.  14) ;  *  to  suffer  need '  (Phil.  iv.  12)  ;  and  '  being 
destitute'  (Heb.  xi.  37).  The  form  of  the  verb  expresses  not  only 
the  fact,  but  also  the  feeling.  Not  only  has  man  failed  through 
sin,  but  he  knows  his  loss. 

the  glory  of  God.  The  word  'glory'  has  two  altogether 
distinct  uses  in  the  N.  T.,  (i)  fame,  honour,  reputation,  from  its 
original  meaning  in  classical  Greek  '  opinion ' ;  (2)  brightness  in 
the  Greek  version  of  the  O.  T.,  as  the  verb  from  which  the  word 
is  derived  may  mean  to  seem,  or  to  appear,  as  well  as  to  think, 
or  to  imagine,  the  sense  from  which  the  meaning  of  the  noun 
'  opinion  '  is  derived.  In  the  sense  of  brightness  the  word  is  used 
for  (a)  the  manifestation  of  God's  presence  in  the  Tabernacle, 
the  Shekinah ;  (6)  the  Divine  perfection  as  expressed  in  this 
visible  splendour ;  (c)  the  holiness  and  blessedness  of  God,  which 
man  in  Christ  is  called  to  share,  and  which  in  man's  resurrection 
body  will  be  shewn  in  outward  brightness.  If  we  assume  the 
first  sense  here,  then  what  this  verse  means  is  that  all  mankind 
as  sinful  has  failed  to  gain  God's  approval,  and  instead  lies  under 
His  condemnation.  If  we  take  the  second  sense,  then  the  meaning 
is  that  man  has  failed  to  attain  to  any  share  in  the  personal 
perfection  of  God  for  which  he  was  destined.  He  has  lost  the 
image  and  forfeited  the  likeness  of  God,  and  has  no  prospect 
in  the  future  of  recovering  this  lost  good.  As  Paul  is  in  this 
passage  dealing  with  man's  standing  before  God,  and  in  the  next 
verse  puts  justification  in  the  forefront  of  the  Divine  gift  of 
redemption,  the  former  sense  would  be  more  appropriate.  But 
the  common  usage  of  the  term  in  the  N.  T.  rather  supports  the 
latter. 

24.  being  justified,  (i)  There  is  an  ambiguity  about  the 
grammatical  construction,  the  participle  stands  here  unconnected 


TO  THE  ROMANS   3.  25  127 

is  in  Christ  Jesus :  whom  God  set  forth  to  be  a  propitia-  35 

with  any  finite  verb.  Four  explanations  are  possible :  (i)  The 
participle  depends  on  the  finite  verb  *  fall  short '  in  the  preceding 
verse,  the  meaning  being  that  because  men  need  to  be  pardoned 
freely  without  any  merit  on  their  part,  the  mode  of  their  accep- 
tance before  God  intimates  their  personal  failure  ;  because  God 
forgives  them,  though  undeserving,  we  know  that  they  have 
fallen  short.  This  is,  however,  a  strained  explanation.  (2)  The 
participle  is  equivalent  to  a  finite  verb  co-ordinate  with  the 
preceding  verb,  and  the  sense  is  '  all  have  sinned,  fall  short, 
and  are  justified,'  or  even,  '  all  having  sinned  and  fallen  short 
are  justified.'  While  the  sense  thus  got  is  good,  it  is  doubtful 
whether  Greek  grammar  justifies  such  an  explanation.  (3)  The 
participle  begins  a  new  sentence  and  we  must  supply  some  finite 
verb  from  the  context ;  but  this  is  a  violent  expedient.  (4)  The 
participle,  although  it  is  in  the  nominative  case,  may  be  regarded 
as  depending  on  '  all  them  that  believe '  in  verse  22,  although  the 
accusative  is  there  used,  the  nominative  having  been  suggested  by 
the  nearer  nominative  '  all '  in  verse  23,  while  all  the  intervening 
words  must  be  taken  as  a  parenthesis  to  explain  why  all  were 
included  in  God's  intention.  This  is  the  best  explanation,  as  the 
irregularity  of  construction  is  not  infrequent  in  Paul's  writing 
(see  ii.  14,  15).  (ii'  The  words  'justify,'  'justified,'  'justification,' 
have  been  the  subject  of  much  controversy.  There  seems  to  be 
a  growing  agreement  among  scholars  that  '  to  justify '  means  *  to 
reckon,  pronounce  righteous.'  If  the  person  so  reckoned,  or 
pronounced  righteous,  is  not  actually  righteous,  then  the  word 
is  equivalent  to  '  to  forgive.'  While  in  ii,  13  'justified'  is  used 
of  persons  assumed  to  be  declared  righteous,  because  they  have 
been  proved  righteous,  yet  Paul's  use  generally,  as  verse  26 
shews,  implies  that  the  declaration  of  righteousness  does  not 
refer  to,  or  assume  any  righteousness  in,  the  person  justified. 
The  term  does  not  and  cannot  mean  'to  make  righteous'  in  the 
sense  of  a  moral  change  ;  for  <  i)  the  whole  class  of  Greek  verbs 
formed  in  the  same  way,  as  this  verb  is,  from  adjectives  expressing 
any  moral  as  distinguished  from  any  physical  quality,  has  the 
meaning  not  of  making  worthy,  holy,  righteous,  but  of  reckoning, 
proving,  declaring.  (2)  No  example  has  3'et  been  cited  from 
classical  literature  where  the  verb  means  '  to  make  righteous,' 
(3)  In  the  Greek  version  of  the  O.  T.  it  is  used  always,  or  almost 
always,  in  a  judicial  sense  ;  so  also  in  the  extra-canonical  Jewish 
literature,  and  in  the  N.  T.  (Matt.  xi.  19,  xii.  37  ;  Luke  vii.  29-35, 
X.  29,  xvi.  15,  xviii,  14  ,  especially  Paul's  writings  {Rom.  ii.  13, 
iii.  4  ;  I  Cor.  iv.  4  ;  i  Tim.  iii.  16),  in  passages  which  are  not 
concerned  at  all  with  Paul's  distinctive  doctrine,  (4)  Paul  himself 
gives  a  definition  of  the  term,  which  excludes  expressly  the  sense 


128  TO  THE  ROMANS   3.  25 

Hon,  through  faith,  by  his  blood,  to  shew  his  righteousness, 

'  to  make  righteous ' :  iv.  5,  '  But  to  him  that  worketh  not,  but 
believeth  on  him  that  justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  reckoned 
for  righteousness.'  Paul's  doctrine  of  justification  may  be  summed 
up  in  three  propositions:  (i)  God  reckons,  or  pronounces,  or 
treats  as  righteous  the  ungodly  who  has  no  righteousness  of  his 
own  to  shew  (iv.  5).  (2)  It  is  his  faith  that  is  reckoned  for 
righteousness  ;  faith  in  Christ  is  accepted  instead  of  personal  merit 
gained  by  good  works  (iv.  5).  (3)  This  faith  has  Christ  as  its 
object  (iii.  22),  especially  the  propitiation  which  is  in  his  blood 
(iii.  25) ;  but  as  such  it  results  in  a  union  with  Christ  so  close 
that  Christ's  experience  of  separation  from  sin  and  surrender  to 
God  is  reproduced  in  the  believer  (vi.  i-ii).  (iii)  The  doctrine 
has  been  denounced  as  legalistic  and  even  immoral.  What  has 
to  be  carefully  remembered  is  that  Paul  is  not  responsible  for 
what  a  theological  scholasticism  or  a  popular  evangelicalism  may 
have  made  of  his  doctrine.  He  does  not  represent  God  as  de- 
ceiving Himself  as  regards  the  actual  moral  condition  of  the  man 
whom,  in  His  grace,  He  forgives.  God  recognizes  in  His  pardon 
fully  and  clearly  the  fact  that  He  is  dealing  with  the  ungodly 
who  has  no  righteousness  to  commend  him.  Paul  does  not 
anywhere  speak  of  God's  transferring  Christ's  merits  to  us,  and 
then  regarding  us  as  though  they  were  our  own.  There  is  no 
make-believe,  no  legal  fiction  in  Paul's  doctrine.  If  Christ's 
righteousness  could  be  transferred  to  the  sinner,  and  become  in 
any  sense  his  own,  there  would  be  no  grace  in  God's  justification. 
If  justice  could  accept  such  a  transfer,  then  justice  alone  would 
pronounce  the  sentence  of  acquittal.  Even  human  forgiveness 
means  the  treatment  of  a  man  not  as  he  actually  is,  not  as  he 
really  deserves,  but  as  for  some  good  reason  we  choose  to  treat 
him,  as  though  he  had  not  committed  any  offence  against  us. 
Why  should  not  God  forgive  if  man  feels  that  he  may  and  ought 
to  forgive  ?  If  forgiveness  is  not  to  be  a  bane  but  a  blessing, 
there  must  of  course  be  genuine  repentance  of  sin  and  sincere 
resolve  of  amendment.  But  this  is  secured  in  faith.  God  does 
not  impute  righteousness  to  the  unrighteous,  but  He  accepts 
instead  of  righteousness,  instead  of  a  perfect  fulfilment  of  the 
whole  law,  faith.  '  Faith  is  reckoned  for  righteousness.'  In  for- 
giving, God's  intention  is  not  to  allow  a  man  to  feel  comfortable 
and  happy  while  indifferent  to,  and  indolent  in,  goodness  ;  but 
to  give  a  man  a  fresh  opportunity,  a  new  ability  to  become  holy 
and  godly.  Those  whom  God  reckons  righteous,  He  means  also 
to  make  righteous  ;  and  the  gradual  process  of  sanctification  can 
only  begin  with  the  initial  act  of  justification.  A  man  must  be 
relieved  of  the  burden  of  his  guilt,  he  must  be  recalled  from  the 
estrangement  of  his   sin,  he    must  be  allowed   to    escape  from 


TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  25  129 

because  of  the  passing  over  of  the  sins  done  aforetime, 

the  haunting  shadows  of  his  doom,  before  he  can  with  any  con- 
fidence, courage,  or  constancy  tread  the  upward  path  of  goodness 
unto  God.  The  man  who  accepts  God's  forgiveness  in  faith  cannot 
mean  to  abuse  it  by  continuance  in  sin,  but  must  long  for  and 
welcome  it  as  allowing  him  to  make  a  fresh  start  on  the  new 
path  of  trustful,  loyal,  and  devoted  surrender  to  God.  Paul,  it  is 
quite  certain,  knew  of  no  saving  faith  that  could  claim  justification 
but  disown  sanctification.  To  him  faith  was  not  only  assent  to 
what  Christ  had  by  his  sacrifice  done  for  man's  salvation,  but 
consent,  constant  and  complete,  to  all  that  Christ  by  his  Spirit 
might  do  in  transforming  character.  He  knew  of  no  purpose  of 
grace  that  stopped  short  at  reckoning  men  righteous,  and  did  not 
go  on  to  making  them  righteous.  Paul  was  not  a  mere  Pharisee, 
desiring  to  be  acquitted  of  guilt,  and  to  be  accepted  with  favour 
before  God.  He  wanted  that ;  but  as  more  than  a  Pharisee,  as 
a  man  who  regarded  his  moral  task  with  intense  seriousness,  and 
sought  to  discharge  it  with  genuine  fidelity,  he  wanted  to  become 
holy,  right  in  feeling  and  motive  as  well  as  deed  and  word.  He 
found  in  Christ  not  only  the  gift  of  forgiveness,  but  also  the  power 
of  holiness.  If  in  his  exposition  he  separates  the  two  elements 
in  his  experience,  justification  and  sanctification,  it  is  not  because 
he  supposes  for  a  moment  that  a  man  can  be  truly  justified  who  is 
not  also  being  really  sanctified  ;  but  because  his  own  position  as  a 
converted  Pharisee  contending  against  the  survival  of  Pharisaism 
in  the  Christian  Church  leads  him  to  throw  into  the  foreground, 
to  present  in  bold  relief,  the  truth  that  God  does  not,  as  the 
Pharisees  conceived,  stand  aloof  from  man  in  his  moral  struggle, 
waiting  only  at  the  end  of  the  day,  when  the  victory  is  won, 
to  recognize  merit  and  confer  reward  ;  but  that  God  is  ever 
waiting  to  be  gracious,  so  that  the  very  first  turning  away  from 
sin  unto  God  meets,  in  Christ,  with  God's  free  forgiveness— a  grace 
which  is  not  only  the  promise,  but  also  the  power  of  the  holi- 
ness, which  is  God's  unchanging  purpose  for  man,  as  it  is  man's 
unceasing  duty  to  himself. 

freely :  gratis,  gift-wise.  The  same  word  as  is  rendered 
'without  a  c%^ise'  (John  xv.  25)  ;  *in  vain'  (Gal.  ii.  21,  A.  V.)  ; 
*  for  nought'  (2  Thess.  iii.  8).  The  word  lays  stress  on  the 
absence  of  all  merit  in  man. 

grace :  free  favour,  which  man  does  not  merit  and  cannot 
claim.  The  motive  of  Christ's  sacrifice  and  man's  salvation  is  this 
undeserved  love  of  God.  Every  theory  of  the  atonement  that  puts 
justice  in  the  place  of  grace  is  untrue  to  Paul's  teaching. 

redemption.  It  has  been  contended  that  as  in  classical 
Greek  the  verb  from  which  the  noun  is  formed  does  not  mean 
'to  pay  a  ransom,'  but  *to  release  on  ransom,'  and  in  the  LXX 


I30  TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  26 

26  in  the  forbearance  of  God  ;  for  the  shewing,  I say^  of  his 

the  term  is  applied  to  the  deliverance  from  Egypt — a  case  in 
which  there  is  no  mention  of  a  ransom— therefore  'redemption' 
means  deliverance,  simply  excluding  any  reference  to  a  ransom. 
While  the  indefinite  sense  is  in  some  passages  admissible,  yet  the 
more  definite  sense  cannot  be  denied.  In  Exod,  vi,  6,  '  I  will 
redeem  you  with  a  stretched  out  arm,  and  with  great  judgements,' 
it  is  no  straining  of  the  sense  to  see  in  God's  deeds  of  judgement 
against  the  Egyptians,  and  deeds  of  help  for  his  people,  the 
ransom  of  their  deliverance.  In  Isa.  xliii,  3,  which  deals  with 
the  second  great  redemption  of  God's  people,  it  is  said  distinctly, 
'  I  have  given  Egypt  as  thy  ransom,  Ethiopia  and  Seba  for  thee.' 
Christ  himself  declared  that  '  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for 
(not  on  behalf,  but  instead  of)  many'  (Mark  x,  45).  Paul  also 
affirms  of  '  the  one  mediator  between   God   and   man,*   that  he 

*  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all '  ( i  Tim.  ii.  6 ;  while  the  word 
*for'  means  'on  behalf  of,'  not  'instead  of  here,  yet  the  word 

*  ransom '  in  Greek  is  a  compound  word,  and  the  first  part  is 
the  word  meaning  '  instead  of).  Christians  are  represented  as 
'bought'  (2  Pet.  ii.  i),  or  '  bought  with  a  price'  (i  Cor.  vi.  20, 
vii.  23),  or  'purchased  unto  God'  with  Christ's  blood  (Rev. 
V.  9).  The  ransom  Christ  paid  to  '  redeem  us  from  the  curse  of 
the  law' was  'his  having  become  a  curse  for  us'  (Gal.  iii.  13). 
Accordingly,  we  'were  redeemed  not  with  corruptible  things, 
with  silver  or  gold,  .  .  .  but  with  precious  blood,  as  of  a  lamb 
without  blemish  and  without  spot'  (i  Pet.  i.  18,  19).  It  is 
simply  impossible  to  get  rid  of  the  conception  of  a  ransom  from 
the  N.  T.  Christian  piety  should  surely  be  as  willing  to  consider 
gratefully  'all  our  redemption  cost,'  as  to  recognize  confidently 
'all  our  redemption  won.'  We  need  not  press  the  metaphor  of 
redemption  to  yield  a  theory  of  the  atonement ;  but  the  idea 
of  Christ's  death  as  a  ransom  expresses  the  necessity  of  that 
death  as  the  condition  of  man's  salvation,  as  required  not  only 
by  the  moral  order  of  the  world,  but  also  by  the  holy  will  of  God, 
which  that  moral  order  expresses.  If  the  earUest  theory  of  the 
atonement  was  wrong  in  asserting  that  the  ransoiii  was  paid  to 
the  devil,  one  of  the  latest  speculations  on  the  subject,  that  Christ 
paid  the  ransom  to  his  brethren  to  secure  their  faith,  has  as  little 
support  in  the  Scriptures.  If  we  are  to  answer  the  question  at 
all,  we  must  say  the  ransom  is  paid  to  God,  as  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ  is  presented  unto  God.  This  redemption,  of  which 
Christ's  death  is  the  necessary  condition,  includes  deliverance 
from  sin's  guilt  (justification),  power  (sanctification),  and  curse 
(resurrection),  (viii.  23)  ;  it  embraces  forgiveness,  holiness,  and 
blessedness. 


TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  26  131 

righteousness  at   this   present   season :    that   he   might 

Christ  Jesus.  While  the  Person  of  Christ  is  here  presented 
as  the  stage  on  which  man's  redemption  takes  place,  yet  in  the 
next  verse  the  death  on  Calvary  is  fixed  on  as  the  act  in  which 
it  is  carried  through. 

25.  set  forth.  The  Greek  word  may  also  mean  'proposed  to 
himself,'  '  designed,'  *  purposed,'  a  sense  which  would  altogether 
agree  with  Paul's  teaching  elsewhere  (ix.  ii  ;  Eph.  iii.  ii  ;  2  Tim. 
i.  9)  ;  but  the  context  suggests  that  it  is  the  publicity  of  the 
sacrifice  that  is  specially  in  view  ;  '  set  forth '  is,  therefore,  the 
preferable  rendering.  (Cf.  Gal.  iii.  i,  'before  whose  eyes  Jesus 
Christ  was  openly  set  forth  crucified,'  literally,  *  placarded  as 
crucified ' ;  also  John  iii.  14,  *  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in 
the  wilderness  *  (that  is,  so  that  all  the  sufferers  might  see),  '  even 
so  must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up).' 

propitiation:  or,  '  propitiatory.'  The  Greek  word  is  usually 
a  noun  meaning  '  the  place  or  vehicle  of  propitiation,'  but 
originally  it  is  the  neuter  of  an  adjective,  (i)  In  the  LXX, 
and  Heb.  ix.  5,  '  and  above  it  cherubim  of  glory  overshadowing 
the  mercy-seat  {Gr.  the  propitiatory),'  it  stands  for  the  lid  of  the 
ark  of  the  covenant,  which  on  the  Day  of  Atonement  was 
sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  the  sacrifice,  and  on  which  the 
Shekinah,  or  glory  of  God,  rested.  In  favour  of  so  rendering  the 
word  here  the  following  considerations  have  been  advanced : 
(i)  Its  connexion  with  the  phrase  '  in  His  blood  ' ;  (2";  its  familiarity 
through  the  LXX  ;  (3)  its  adoption  by  the  Greek  commentators  ; 
(4)  its  appropriateness,  as  the  glory  of  the  Divine  Presence  rests 
on  Christ,  as  in  him  God  graciously  meets  man,  as  his  death  is 
prefigured  in  the  act  which  ended  the  service  of  the  Day  of 
Atonement.  Against  this  rendering,  however,  it  is  argued  :  (i) 
that  it  is  a  strain  on  figurative  language  to  represent  Christ 
as  at  once  priest,  and  victim,  and  place  of  sprinkling  (Origen 
describes  Christ  *as  propitiatory  (mercy-seat),  and  priest,  and 
victim  which  is  off*ered  for  the  people,'  and  Hebrews  represents 
Christ  as  both  priest  and  victim  (ix.  11-14,  23 — x.  22),  but 
not  as  mercy-seat) ;  (2)  that  it  is  the  cross  rather  that  is 
the  place  of  blood-sprinkling — Calvary  is  God's  'tryst'  with 
man  ;  (3)  that  the  publicity  of  the  Crucifixion  is  the  prominent 
consideration  in  the  context,  whereas  the  sprinkling  of  the 
mercy-seat  was  the  one  act  of  worship  which  was  performed  by 
the  high-priest  alone  when  withdrawn  from  the  gaze  of  the 
people.  The  arguments  both  for  and  against  this  view  are 
ingenious  rather  than  convincing,  but  on  the  whole  it  is  improbable 
Paul  would  have  introduced  an  allusion  so  obscure  to  the  majority 
of  his  readers  without  some  fuller  explanation,  (ii)  It  has  also 
been  proposed  to  understand  the  term  in  the  sense  of  propitiatory 

K   2 


132  TO  THE  ROMANS   3.   36 

himself  be  just,  and  the  justifier  of  him  that  hath  faith 

victim,  but  no  distinct  evidence  of  such  use  has  been  produced. 
Yet  in  favour  of  it  is  the  consideration  that  Paul  has  been  dealing, 
in  the  previous  section,  with  the  revelation  of  the  Divine  wrath 
against  sin.  It  would  suit  this  context  that  he  should  regard  the 
death  of  Christ  as  shewing  both  the  Divine  wrath  and  the 
appeasement  of  that  wrath.  If  he  did  not  think  of  the  levitical 
sacrifices  (and  his  references  to  the  O.  T.  ritual  system  are  not 
as  frequent  as  we  might  have  expected),  he  may  have  thought, 
as  has  been  suggested,  of  some  of  the  human  sacrifices  to  avert 
the  anger,  or  to  secure  the  favour  of  the  gods,  found  in  Greek  or 
Roman  story,  (iii)  There  is  evidence  that  the  word  was  used  as 
an  adjective,  and  there  does  seem  an  advantage  in  taking  the 
word  in  the  most  general  sense  possible.  Christ  himself  is  set 
forth  by  God  as  propitiatory  in  his  blood.  In  whatever  way  the 
word  itself  is  taken  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  idea  expressed. 
The  death  of  Christ  is  that  which  renders  God  propitious  to 
sinners,  and  it  does  this  in  its  character  as  a  sacrifice  (i  John 
ii.  2,  iv.  10;  Heb.  ii,  17.  The  same  word  is  not  used  in  these 
passages,  but  words  from  the  same  root). 

throug"!!  faith,  by  his  blood :  or,  *  through  faith  in  his  blood.' 
Either  by  his  blood  is  to  be  connected  with  propitiatory  as  that 
element  in  the  revelation  of  Christ  in  respect  of  which  he  is  set 
forth  as  propitiatory,  or  *  in  his  blood '  is  to  be  attached  directly 
to  faith  as  indicating  that  on  which  faith  fixes  as  its  object.  The 
former,  is  the  preferable  explanation,  as  it  defines  more  clearly  the 
idea  of  propitiatory  ;  the  latter  is  of  course  involved  in  the  former, 
for  faith  attaches  itself  necessarily  to  that  in  which  Christ  is 
revealed  as  propitiatory. 

by  his  blood,  (i)  The  N.  T.  lays  great  stress  on  the  blood 
of  Christ  in  connexion  with  his  work  of  redemption  or  propitiation 
(Eph.  i.  7,  ii.  13;  Col.  i.  20;  Rom.  v.  9 ;  Heb.  ix.  11-22;  i  Pet. 
i.  2,  19;  I  John  i.  7,  V.  6-8;  Rev.  i.  5,  v.  9,  vii.  14,  xii.  11). 
This  common  witness  of  the  apostles  seems  even  to  go  back  to 
words  of  Jesus  himself  (Matt.  xxvi.  28  ;  Mark  xiv.  24).  His 
death  is  represented  as  a  sacrifice,  the  passover  lamb  (John  i.  29, 
xix.  36;  I  Cor.  V.  7,  8),  the  sacrifice  of  the  Day  of  Atonement 
(Heb.  ii.  17,  ix.  12,  14),  the  covenant  sacrifice  (Heb.  ix.  15-22  : 
cf.  I  Cor.  xi.  25),  and  the  sin-oflering  (Heb.  xiii.  n,  12;  i  Pet. 
iii.  18 ;  perhaps  also  Rom.  viii.  3).  His  death  is  related 
immediately  to  the  forgiveness  of  sin  (Matt.  xxvi.  28 ;  Acts  v. 
30,  31  ;  I  Cor.  XV.  3;  2  Cor.  v.  21;  Eph.  i.  7;  Col.  i.  14,  20; 
Titus  ii.  14  ;  Heb.  i.  3,  ix.  28,  x.  12 ;  i  Pet.  ii.  24,  iii.  18 ;  i  John 
ii.  2,  iv.  10 ;  Rev.  i.  5).  The  author  of  the  Hebrews  even  lays 
down  the  general  principle,  'without  shedding  of  blood  there  is 
no  remission '  (ix.  22) ;  and  probably  all  the  writers  of  the  N.  T. 


TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  27  133 

in  Jesus.     Where  then  is  the  glorying?     It  is  excluded.  27 

would  have  agreed  with  him.  We  are  not  warranted  in  weakening 
the  force  of  this  testimony  by  the  explanation  that  in  sacrifice 
the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  on  the  altar,  signifying  the  presentation 
of  the  life  to  God,  was  the  important  matter,  not  the  shedding  of 
the  blood  signifying  the  death  of  the  victim  ;  for  in  the  N.  T.  use 
of  the  sacrificial  imagery  it  is  the  blood-shedding,  and  not  the 
blood-sprinkling  alone,  on  which  stress  is  often  laid.  The  two 
ideas  go  together,  for  without  the  shedding  there  could  not  be 
the  sprinkling  of  the  blood.  Christ's  offering  unto  God  was 
certainly  his  holy  obedience,  but  he  rendered  that  in  enduring 
death.  Viewed  then  as  a  sacrifice,  the  death  of  Christ  is  pre- 
figured in  the  sacrifices  of  the  O.  T.  ritual,  and  even  in  heathen 
worship.  The  spiritual  principle  which  is  thus  expressed  is 
presented  most  vividly  in  the  O.  T.  in  the  figure  of  the  servant 
of  Jehovah  (Isa.  Hi.  13— liii.  12),  who  saves  others  by  suffering 
for  them.  If  vicarious  suffering  is  not  the  sole  element  in  sacrifice, 
but  representative  submission  is  also  included,  yet  it  is  an 
essential  element,  and  without  setting  aside  the  teaching  of  the 
N.  T.  it  cannot  be  got  rid  of  from  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the 
Atonement,  (ii)  Although  Paul  does  not  use  the  phrase '  for  Christ's 
sake,'  yet  it  is  certain  that  apart  from  Christ's  sacrifice  he  does 
not  and  cannot  think  of  man's  salvation.  It  is  in  Christ  a  man 
is  justified,  sanctified,  glorified.  Christ's  sacrifice  is  the  means  of 
securing  man's  redemption,  by  which  Paul  means  first  of  all 
acquittal,  forgiveness,  acceptance  before  God ;  but  also  deliverance 
from  the  power  of  sin,  the  authority  of  the  law,  and  the  ills  of  life, 
as  interruptions  of  the  soul's  communion  with  God,  and  the  doom 
of  sin,  death. 

to  shew  his  rig-hteoiisness.  This,  according  to  Paul  here, 
was  the  ultimate  object  of  Christ's  death,  which  exhibits  the 
righteousness  of  God  in  its  negative  aspect  as  penalty  for  sin, 
and  also  in  its  positive  aspect  as  forgiveness  bestowed  on  the 
sinner. 

because  of  the  passing"  over  of  the  sins  done  aforetime. 
The  sins  of  the  race  before  Christ  had  not  been  forgiven  in  the 
full  sense  as  the  doctrine  of  justification  presents  forgiveness; 
they  had  been  passed  over;  God  had  not  exacted  the  full  penalty 
for  them.  This  might  create  the  false  impression  that  God  was 
indifferent  or  indulgent  to  sin  ;  but  Christ's  death  by  shewing  the 
righteousness  of  God  corrects  this  false  impression.  It  further 
shews  the  provisional  and  anticipator}'^  character  of  God's  dealing 
in  the  past,  which  pointed  forward  to  an  order  of  grace  still 
coming. 

in  the  forbearance  of  G-od.  *  In  '  may  here  have  the  sense  of 
during  while  the  forbearance  of  God  lasted,  or  it  may  indicate  the 


134  TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  28, 29 

By  what  manner  of  law  ?  of  works  ?  Nay  :  but  by  a  law 
2S  of  faith.  We  reckon  therefore  that  a  man  is  justified  by 
29  faith  apart  from  the  works  of  the  law.     Or  is  God  the 

motive,  God  passed  over  sins  because  of  His  forbearance  :  the  latter 
sense  is  preferable,  as  the  writer  is  dealing  with  the  mind  of  God 
in  relation  to  sin,  as  revealed  in  Christ's  death. 

26.  for  the  shewing'.  This  is  not  a  co-ordinate  clause  with 
'to  shew'  in  verse  25,  merely  repeating  the  same  thought,  but  is 
subordinate  to  the  clause  just  preceding  and  explanatory  of  it. 
To  shew  his  righteousness  is  the  general  statement  of  the  purpose 
of  the  death  of  Christ,  that  the  fulfilment  of  this  purpose  might 
take  place  at  '■  the  present  season,  that  is,  '  the  fulness  of  the  times.' 
God  in  His  forbearance  passed  over  the  sins  done  aforetime.  As 
it  was  God's  intention  to  offer  pardon  to  sinners  in  Christ,  it  would, 
so  to  speak,  have  contradicted  that  intention  if  before  Christ  came 
God  had  dealt  with  men  in  strict  justice.  Even  the  generations 
before  Christ  so  far  benefited  by  '  the  redemption  in  his  blood,' 
that  in  view  of  it  God  deals  with  them  in  His  forbearance  ;  the 
cross  casts  alight  backward  ;  it,  as  already  shewn,  offers  the  moral 
justification  for  God's  passing  over  of  sins.  It  casts  a  light  forward  ; 
it  affords  the  reason  for  the  pardon  that  God  now  offers  to  men. 

just,  and  the  justiner.  To  bring  out  clearly  the  connexion 
with  the  phrase  the  righteousness  of  God,  it  would  be  better  to 
render  *  righteous  and  reckoning  righteous.'  The  meaning  is  not 
'  reckoning  righteous  in  spite  of  being  righteous,'  as  is  sometimes 
assumed,  but  rather  because  His  righteousness  not  only  condemns 
and  punishes  sin, but  alsoincludes  the  purposeof  restoring  sinners  to 
righteousness,  and  because  these  two  elements  in  His  righteousness 
are  combined  and  harmonized  in  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  therefore 
He  now  reckons  righteous.  A  higher  element  of  God's  perfection 
is  revealed  in  forgiving  sinners  than  in  punishing  sin. 

that  hath  faith :  or,  '■  that  is  of  faith.'  Faith  is  the  starting- 
point,  the  motive,  and  so  the  dominant  tendency  of  his  life. 

27.  glorying":  the  Jew's  boast  in  his  exclusive  privileges. 

It  is  excluded :  once  for  all  by  the  decisive  act  of  the  cross. 

law  of  faith  :  God's  manner  of  dealing  with  men,  in  which 
He  does  not  demand  obedience  to  commandments,  but  requires 
faith  in  His  grace. 

28.  therefore  is  the  better  attested  reading,  but  'For'  (R.  V. 
margin)  suits  the  context  better.  Paul  does  not  infer  from  the 
exclusion  of  boasting  that  justification  is  apart  from  works  of  the 
law  through  faith,  but  because  justification  is  by  faith,  not  works, 
therefore  boasting  is  excluded.  Verse  28  gives  the  reason  for 
verse  27,  not  an  inference  from  it. 

29.  To  assert  justification  by  works  is  to  restore  the  distinction 


TO  THE  ROMANS  3.  30—4.  i  135 

God  of  Jews  only  ?  is  he  not  the  God  of  Gentiles  also  ? 
Yea,  of  Gentiles  also :  if  so  be  that  God  is  one,  and  he  30 
shall   justify   the   circumcision   by   faith,    and    the    un- 
circumcision  through  faith.     Do  we  then  make  the  law  31 
of  none  effect  through  faith  ?      God  forbid :    nay,  we 
establish  the  law. 

What  then  shall  we  say  that  Abraham,  our  forefather   4 

between  Jew  and  Gentile  that  Paul's  previous  argument  denied, 
and  this  is  to  assign  partiality  to  God,  who  has  been  declared  to 
be  'without  respect  of  persons.' 

30.  shall  justify  :  not  at  the  Day  of  Judgement,  but  henceforth. 
by  faith,  .  .  .  through  faith.     This  variation  expresses  no 

essential  distinction  between  Jew  and  Gentile.  The  Jew's  faith, 
not  his  circumcision,  is  God's  reason  for  justifying  him.  The 
means  by  which  the  Gentile,  even  although  uncircumcised,  finds 
acceptance  before  God  is  faith — the  same  faith  as  justifies  the 
Jew. 

31.  Does  the  establishment  of  '  the  law  of  faith,'  that  is,  God's 
method  of  reckoning  righteous  the  believer  in  Jesus,  not  abrogate 
the  principle  of  law,  the  method  of  dealing  with  men  according  to 
their  works  (this  is  the  sense  without  the  article  before  '  law'),  or 
the  Mosaic  law  in  particular  (the  meaning  of  'law'  with  the 
article)  ?  This  is  the  question  the  Jewish  objector  might  put 
Paul  asserts  summarily  that  the  new  method  confirms  the  old. 
One  instance  in  proof  of  this  he  gives  in  the  next  chapter.  The 
literature  of  law  recognizes  this  principle  of  faith  in  the  person 
of  Abraham,  the  father  of  the  race  to  whom  the  law  had  been 
given. 

(sY  iv.  1-25.     Rtghieousness  by  faith  consistent  with  law. 

Having  proved  man's  need  of  righteousness  and  declared  God's 
provision  in  Christ,  Paul  sets  himself  the  task  of  shewing  that 
the  human  condition  for  the  possession  of  God's  righteousness — 
faith — is  consistent  with  the  testimony  of  the  law  itself  in  the 
crucial  case  of  Abraham.  He  shews  (i)  that  Abraham's  acceptance 
before  God,  which  resembled  that  described  by  David,  was  due  to 
his  faith,  not  his  works  (1-8);  (ii)  that  it  took  place  before  he 
was  circumcised,  so  that  he  might  be  the  spiritual  father  of  the 
circumcised  and  uncircumcised  alike  (9-12) ;  (iii)  that  the  promise 
was  of  grace,  and  not  in  accordance  with  law,  and  therefore 
extended  to  all  who  share  his  faith,  and  not  only  to  those  under 
the  law  (13-17)  ;  (iv)  that  in  his  faith  he  was  a  type  of  the 
Christian  believer,  for  he  believed  that  God  was  able  to  bring  life 
out  of  death  (17-25). 


136  TO  THE  ROMANS  4.  2 

2  according  to  the  flesh,  hath  found  ?     For  if  Abraham 
was  justified  by  works,  he  hath  whereo'f  to  glory ;    but 

(i)  iv.  1-8.  Abraham's  acceptance  through  faith.  As  the  Jewish 
objector  might  assert  that  surely  Abraham,  the  father  of  the 
chosen  people,  had  been  accepted  by  God  on  account  of  his 
merits,  Paul  sets  himself  to  shew  that  even  if  Abraham  had  been 
altogether  free  of  sin,  that  might  have  given  him  a  title  to 
man's  respect,  but  would  not  have  entitled  him  to  claim  God's 
favour  as  a  right ;  but  he  does  not  need  to  complete  the  argument, 
for  he  can  appeal  to  the  law  itself  for  his  proof  that  personal  merit 
had  nothing  to  do  with  Abraham's  acceptance  before  God,  which 
was  entirely  due  to  his  trust  in  God — a  trust  in  God's  grace  which 
by  its  very  nature  excluded  all  claim  of  reward  on  the  ground  of 
merit,  a  trust  of  the  same  kind  as  that  on  which  a  blessing  is 
pronounced  by  David  when  he  speaks  of  the  happiness  of  the 
man  whose  sin  God  freely  forgives. 

1.  that  Abraham  . . .  hath  found:  or,  '  of  Abraham.'  It  is  doubt- 
ful whether  a  single  Greek  word  which  explains  the  difference  of 
these  two  renderings  belongs  to  the  original  text  or  not.  If  it  is 
inserted,  then  the  question  asked  is  this :  What  advantage  did 
Abraham  derive  from  his  position  as  forefather  of  the  chosen 
race  ?  This  is,  however,  not  what  is  afterwards  dealt  with,  but  the 
question,  How  did  Abraham  gain  his  position  ?  The  omission  of 
the  word  is  to  be  preferred,  and  the  sense  then  is,  What  is  to  be 
thought  about  the  case  of  Abraham  ?  A  third  rendering  has  been 
suggested.  It  is  to  take  '  hath  found '  with  *  according  to  the 
flesh,'  and  to  give  the  sense  as,  '  What  shall  we  say  that  Abraham 
has  gained  by  his  natural  powers  unaided  by  the  grace  of  God?' 
Although  inverses  18-21  the  contrast  is  made  between  Abraham's 
physical  incapacity  for  fatherhood  and  his  faith  that  God  could 
even  through  him  fulfil  the  promise  of  a  son,  yet  the  immediate 
context  does  not  even  suggest  this  question  ;  and  it  is  much  more 
natural  to  connect  accordinsr  to  the  flesh  with  our  forefather. 
In  these  words  Paul  asserts  his  Jewish  nationality,  and  probably 
suggests  that  the  person  bringing  forward  this  objection  must  also 
be  thought  of  as  a  Jew ;  but  the  phrase  does  not  prove  that  the 
majority  of  the  Roman  believers  were  Jews. 

2.  That  Abraham  was  justified,  that  is,  accepted  by  God  to 
favour,  his  being  chosen  to  be  forefather  of  the  elect  nation  puts 
beyond  all  doubt.  The  question  in  dispute  was  not  this  fact,  but 
the  ground  of  it.  Was  it  works,  or  faith  ?  Paul,  as  a  pious  and 
patriotic  Jew,  will  go  in  reverence  for  the  patriarch  as  far  ss  he 
can.  He  does  not  settle  the  question  at  once  by  applying  to 
Abraham  the  general  principle  he  had  laid  down,  *  By  the  works 
of  the  law  shall  no  flesh  be  justified  in  his  sight.'     He  is  willing 


TO  THE  ROMANS  4.  5  137 

not  toward  God.     For  what  saith  the  scripture  ?     And  3 
Abraham  believed  God,  and  it  was  reckoned  unto  him 

to  entertain  the  supposition  that  Abraham  was  an  exception  to 
the  rule  of  universal  sinfulness.  In  that  case  Abraham  had  a  claim 
to  the  honour  of  all  men,  and  so  might  shew  some  confidence  in 
himself  in  relation  to  men  :  but  even  if  acquitted  of  all  fault  he 
had  no  right  to  assert  any  claim  on  God's  favour.  The  Pharisaic 
conception  of  self-righteousness  is  thus  absolutely  disproved  and 
denied.  Even  the  sinless,  according  to  Paul,  can  claim  no  merit 
before  God.  This  argument  need  not,  however,  be  carried  any 
further,  as  the  law  itself  excludes  the  supposition  that  Abraham 
found  favour  before  God  on  account  of  his  merits. 

3.  And  Abiaham  believed  Ood,  and  it  was  reckoned  tinto 
hinx  for  rigrhteousness.  This  is  quoted  from  Gen.  xv.  6  (LXX) 
both  by  Paul  and  James  (ii.  23)  ;  but  while  Paul  draws  the 
conclusion  that  Abraham  was  reckoned  righteous  for  his  faith 
alone,  not  his  works,  James  infers  that  '  by  works  a  man  is 
justified,  and  not  only  by  faith.'  The  difference  is  due  to  the 
different  experiences,  environments,  and  intentions  of  the  two 
apostles.  The  one  had  felt  no  need  to  forsake  the  law  to  follow 
Christ ;  the  other  had  been  forced  to  break  with  the  law  that  he 
might  be  joined  to  Christ.  The  one  lived  in  the  midst  of  Palestinian 
Jewish-Christianity,  where  the  law  was  prized  as  a  precious 
possession  and  a  glorious  privilege ;  the  other  moved  among 
the  Gentile  churches,  where  it  was  proving  a  wall  of  partition 
between  brethren  in  Christ.  The  one  was  rebuking  a  barren 
orthodoxy  ;  the  other  a  Pharisaic  self-righteousness.  For  the  one, 
faith  meant  simply  belief  in  doctrine;  for  the  other,  union  with 
Christ.  For  the  one,  works  were  good  and  godly  deeds  such  as 
please  God  and  bless  man  ;  for  the  other,  the  observance  of  rules 
for  the  sake  of  reward.  There  is  no  controversy  between  them,  just 
because  they  have  no  conceptions  in  common  where  contradiction 
might  emerge.  Paul's  position  is  grounded  on  a  deeper  and  higher 
experience,  but  James's  contention  is  provoked  by  a  common 
danger  of  a  shallow  piety.  The  discussions  in  the  Jewish  schools 
regarding  Abraham's  faith  are  referred  to  in  the  Introduction. 

reckoned.  This  metaphor  is  taken  from  accounts.  *  It  was 
set  down  on  the  credit  side.'  Malachi  (iii.  16)  speaks  of  'a  book 
of  remembrance,'  in  which  man's  deeds  are  written,  similar  to  the 
records  Oriental  sovereigns  kept  of  services  to,  or  offences  against, 
their  persons  (Esther  vi.  i)  ;  and  Daniel  and  Revelation  alike 
declare  that  at  the  judgement-day  '  books '  are  brought  out  before 
God  (Dan.  vii.  10  ;  Rev.  xx.  12).  This  is  figurative  language,  but 
a  spiritual  reality  corresponds  to  it;  each  man  before  God  carries 
his  own  record  in  himself. 


138  TO  THE  ROMANS  4.  4-7 

4  for  righteousness.     Now  to  him  that  worketh,  the  reward 

5  is  not  reckoned  as  of  grace,  but  as  of  debt.  But  to  him 
that  worketh  not,  but  believeth  on  him  that  justifieth  the 

6  ungodly,  his  faith  is  reckoned  for  righteousness.  Even 
as  David  also  pronounceth  blessing  upon  the  man,  unto 
whom  God  reckoneth  righteousness  apart  from  works, 

y  saying, 

for  righteousness.  Faith  was,  so  to  speak,  entered  in  the 
books  as  an  equivalent  for  righteousness.  The  Jews,  while  laying 
stress  on  Abraham's  faith,  also  made  much  of  his  righteousness. 
As  the  only  righteous  man  of  his  generation,  it  was  affirmed  that 
he  was  chosen  to  be  the  father  of  the  chosen  people.  He  knew 
beforehand  all  the  requirements  of  the  law  and  kept  them.  The 
Shekinah  was  brought  to  earth  by  the  merits  of  seven  righteous 
men,  of  whom  Abraham  was  the  first.  Circumcision  and  the 
keeping  of  the  law  by  anticipation  perfected  his  original  righteous- 
ness. Paul  seems  in  the  following  verses  to  be  combating  some  of 
these  notions. 

4.  5.  Paul,  from  a  common  illustration  (a  workman's  wages  are 
a  debt  due  to  him,  not  a  gift  bestowed  on  him,  and  therefore  a  gift 
can  be  received,  but  not  earned),  draws  a  conclusion  important  for 
his  argument  that  Abraham's  justification  was  not  due  partly  to 
his  faith  and  partly  to  his  righteousness,  but  wholly  and  solely  to 
the  former,  and  not  at  all  to  the  latter.  If  Abraham  in  any  degree 
at  all  deserved  God's  favour,  it  was  not  God's  free  grace  that 
bestowed  it,  or  Abraham's  simple  faith  that  received  it. 

5.  that  justifieth :  God  ;  for  although  Christ  is  usually  repre- 
sented as  the  object  of  Christian  faith,  yet  as  Paul  is  dealing 
with  faith  in  its  most  general  aspects,  he  prefers  to  describe  God 
as  the  object.  In  this  verse  Paul  is  laying  down  a  general  prin- 
ciple, and  is  not  confining  his  attention  to  the  case  of  Abraham, 
although  Abraham's  case  is  the  occasion  for  stating  this  principle  ; 
for  he  would  not  describe  Abraham  as  ungodly.  He  purposely 
uses  this  term  to  shew  all  that  faith  can  accomplish,  and  to 
prepare  for  the  quotation  from  a  Psalm  that  follows. 

6.  David.  Ps.  xxxii,  from  which  the  words  quoted  are  taken, 
is  by  both  the  Hebrew  and  the  Greek  versions  ascribed  to  David, 
and  some  scholars  still  maintain  his  authorship.  But  it  has  to  be 
remembered  that  the  use  of  the  name  in  the  N.  T.  does  not  settle 
any  question  of  authorship,  as  at  that  date  the  whole  Psalter  was 
popularly  spoken  of  as  by  David. 

hlessingr.  David  does  not  pronounce  the  blessing  on  the 
forgiven  man,  it  is  God  Himself  who  pronounces  him  blessed. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   4.  8-11  139 

Blessed  are  they  whose  iniquities  are  forgiven, 

And  whose  sins  are  covered. 

Blessed  is  the  man  to  whom  the  Lord  will   not   8 
reckon  sin. 
Is  this  blessing  then  pronounced  upon  the  circumcision,    9 
or  upon  the  uncircumcision  also  ?  for  we  say,  To  Abraham 
his  faith  was  reckoned  for  righteousness.     How  then  was  10 
it  reckoned?    when  he  was  in  circumcision,  or  in  un- 
circumcision?    Not  in  circumcision,  but  in  uncircum- 
cision: and  he  received  the  sign  of  circumcision,  a  seal  n 

David  in  this  Psalm  speaks  of  *  the  pronouncing  blessed  by  God ' 
(that  is  the  meaning  of  the  Greek  word). 

7.  Blessed.  The  Greek  word  expresses  the  highest  state  of 
happiness  possible. 

8.  will  not.    The  Greek  has  a  double  negative, '  will  in  no  wise.' 
(ii)  iv.  9-12.     Abrahant's  acceptance  prior   to   his   circumcision. 

The  Jewish  objector  might  urge  his  suit  by  declaring  that  even 
although  faith  was  the  condition  of  Abraham's  favour  before  God, 
3'et  the  fact  that  God  appoint-ed  the  institution  of  circumcision 
proves  that  faith  cannot  be  taken  into  account  alone,  but  some 
significance  and  value  must  attach  to  circumcision.  Paul  in 
answer  appeals  to  the  historical  fact  that  the  acceptance  of 
Abraham  is  recorded  (Gen.  xv.  6)  before  the  account  of  his 
circumcision  is  given  (xvii.  lo),  and  draws  from  this  fact  not  only 
the  immediate  inference  that  in  Abraham's  case  faith  alone  was 
the  ground  of  his  acceptance,  but  also  the  more  remote  conclusion 
that  this  took  place  in  order  that  uncircumcised  Gentiles  as  well  as 
circumcised  Jews  might  be  able  to  claim  him  as  spiritual  ancestor, 
and  a  share  in  the  spiritual  inheritance  promised  to  him.  The 
reasoning  runs  as  follows  : — The  blessing  spoken  of  by  David 
belongs  to  the  uncircumcised  as  well  as  to  the  circumcised, 
because  Abraham  was  accepted  by  God  before  his  circumcision, 
which  was  not  a  reason  for,  but  a  seal  in  confirmation  of,  his 
acceptance.  God's  purpose  in  accepting  him  prior  to  circumcision 
was  manifestly  this,  that  he  might  be  the  spiritual  ancestor  of  all 
believers  irrespective  of  circumcision,  and  might  communicate  to 
all  the  spiritual  inheritance  of  which  circumcision  was  the  sign  on 
the  sole  condition  of  faith. 

11.  si^n  of  circumcision :  the  sign  consisting  of  circumcision. 
This,  in  Gen.  xvii.  ii,  is  described  as  'the  sign  of  the  covenant.' 
God  made  an  agreement  with  Abraham,  to  which  he  set  his  seal 
by  being  circumcised. 


140  TO  THE  ROMANS  4.  12,13 

of  the  righteousness  of  the  faith  which  he  had  while  he 
was  in  uncircumcision  :  that  he  might  be  the  father  of  all 
them  that  believe,  though  they  be  in  uncircumcision, 

12  that  righteousness  might  be  reckoned  unto  them;  and 
the  father  of  circumcision  to  them  who  not  only  are  of 
the  circumcision,  but  who  also  walk  in  the  steps  of  that 
faith  of  our  father  Abraham  which  he  had  in  uncircum- 

13  cision.      For  not  through  the  law  was  the  promise  to 

a  seal.  When  a  child  was  circumcised,  the  following  prayer 
was  offered.  '  Blessed  be  He  that  sanctifieth  His  beloved  from 
the  womb,  and  put  His  ordinance  upon  his  flesh,  and  sealed  His 
offspring  with  the  sign  of  a  holy  covenant*  Similar  statements 
are  found  in  other  Jewish  writings. 

that  he  niigfht  be,  &c.  Circumcision  as  a  sign  or  seal  is  less 
important  than  that  which  it  signifies  or  seals,  faith  ;  and  there- 
fore those  who  have  faith  like  Abraham's,  and  so  prove  them- 
selves his  spiritual  descendants,  can  clain  justification  such  as  his, 
even  if  they  have  not  the  sign  or  the  seal.  Paul  reads  purpose 
into  history.  Abraham's  acceptance  with  God  preceded  his  cir- 
cumcision in  order  to  leave  a  door  open  to  the  Gentiles. 

father  of  all  them  that  believe.  In  one  of  the  Jewish 
prayers  for  the  Day  of  Atonement  Abraham  is  called  '  the  first  of 
my  faithful  ones.' 

12.  father  of  circumcision.  Abraham  transmits  to  his  physi- 
cal descendants  who  believe  circumcision  as  a  sign  and  a  seal  of 
their  faith,  as  it  was  to  himself. 

walk  in  the  steps.  The  Greek  word  is  a  military  term 
meaning  'march  in  file.' 

in  xmcircumcision :  Paul  insists  so  strongl}'  on  this  fact  in 
opposition  to  contemporary  Judaism  (see  Introduction),  which 
insisted  fanatically  on  the  rite  as  a  necessity  to  salvation  and 
a  protection  against  perdition. 

(iii)  iv.  13-17.  Abraham's  acceptance  apart  from  the  latv.  Con- 
temporary Judaism  asserted  that  Abraham  enjoyed  God's  favour 
because  he  by  anticipation  fulfilled  all  the  requirements  of  the  lav/. 
Paul  now  sets  himself  to  shew  that  Abraham's  acceptance  was 
not  only  previous  to  his  circumcision,  but  that  the  promise  to  him 
had  no  connexion  with  the  law.  (a)  He  makes  a  definite  asser- 
tion. The  promise  was  not  made  in  any  way  dependent  on  keeping 
of  the  law,  but  only  on  the  acceptance  before  God  which  is  given 
to  faith  (verse  13).  (6)  He  gives  a  reason  for  the  assertion.  From 
the  very  nature  of  law,  which  attaches  guilt  to  every  sinful  act. 


TO  THE  ROMANS  4.  14  141 

Abraham  or  to  his  seed,  that  he  should  be  heir  of  the 
world,  but  through  the  righteousness  of  faith.      For  if  14 
they  which  are  of  the  law  be  heirs,  faith  is  made  void, 

and  so  inflicts  condemnation  on  the  sinner,  it  follows  that  the 
promise  could  never  have  been  fulfilled,  as  the  demands  of  the 
law  could  never  have  been  fully  met,  and  so  faith  would  have 
been  altogether  deprived  of  its  object  (14,  15).  (c)  He  indicates 
a  purpose  in  the  fact  asserted.  That  the  promise  might  be  ful- 
filled for  all  believers,  faith  in  God's  grace  was  laid  down  as  the 
sole  condition  of  the  possession  of  the  promise  (16).  {d)  He 
confirms  his  indication  of  such  a  purpose  by  the  testimony  of 
Scripture  to  the  Divine  intention  that  Abraham  should  have 
a  numerous  spiritual  progeny  (17).  The  quotation  in  verse  17 
belongs  to  the  section,  but  with  the  words  '  before  him  whom  he 
believed'  Paul  passes  to  another  subject,  the  analogy  between 
the  faith  of  Abraham  and  Christian  faith,  because  for  both  God 
is  quickener  of  the  dead.  The  grammatical  construction  prevents 
the  logical  division  of  the  verse,  and  we  must  take  the  whole  of 
it  along  with  the  previous  verses. 

13.  throug-li  the  law :  or,  '  through  law.'  Either  the  Mosaic 
law  definitely,  or  the  principle  of  law  generally. 

promise.  The  O.  T.  religion  is  one  of  promise,  and  the  N.  T. 
of  fulfilment.  At  this  time  Jewish  thought  was  very  much 
absorbed  in  the  promises,  and  was  eagerly  expecting  their  early 
fulfilment.  Only  an  exposition  of  the  whole  subject  of  Messianic 
prophecy  would  afford  an  adequate  comment  on  this  word. 

lieir  of  the  world.  Abraham  was  promised  the  land  of 
Canaan  (Gen.  xii.  7,  xiii.  15,  xv.  18,  xvii.  8),  an  heir  (xv.  4, 
xvii.  19),  a  numerous  seed  (xiii.  16),  and  a  blessing  through  him 
to  the  nations  of  the  earth  (xii.  3).  These  promises  were  under- 
stood to  include  (i)  a  son,  (2)  numerous  descendants,  (3)  one 
among  them  who  should  bring  blessing  to  all  mankind,  and  (4)  a 
world-wide  dominion  with  this  descendant  for  all  Abraham's 
seed.  In  a  time  of  oppression  and  persecution  the  Psalmist  found 
consolation  in  this  promise  ;  the  oppressed  and  persecuted  would 
find  deliverance  and  gain  dominion.  '  The  meek  shall  inherit  the 
land'  (xxxvii.  u)  ;  and  the  same  promise,  but  in  a  spiritual 
application,  was  repeated  by  Christ  himself, '  Blessed  are  the  meek  : 
for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth'  (Matt.  v.  5). 

righteousness  of  faith :  same  as  'righteousness  of  God' (i.  17). 
It  is  given  by  God,  accepted  by  faith. 

14.  they  which  are  of  the  law:  those  who  in  relation  to 
God  do  not  depend  on  faith  in  His  grace,  but  on  their  performance 
of  the  requirements  of  the  law.  If  by  this  method  blessing 
can  be  secured,  then  Paul  argues  the  other  method  of  faith  in 


142  TO  THE  ROMANS  4.  15-17 

15  and  the  promise  is  made  of  none  effect :  for  the  law 
worketh  wrath;   but  where  there  is  no  law,  neither  is 

16  there  transgression.  For  this  cause  //  is  of  faith,  that  // 
7nay  be  according  to  grace ;  to  the  end  that  the  promise 
may  be  sure  to  all  the  seed ;  not  to  that  only  which  is  of 
the  law,  but  to  that  also  which  is  of  the  faith  of  Abraham, 

17  who  is  the  father  of  us  all  (as  it  is  written,  A  father  of 
many  nations  have  I  made  thee)  before  him  whom  he 

God's  promise  is  set  aside.  The  assumption  of  Paul's  argument 
is  that  there  cannot  be  alternative  methods  of  securing  God's 
favour.  If  observance  of  the  requirements  of  the  law  is  possible 
as  a  condition  of  acceptance  before  God,  then  faith  in  God's 
promise  is  not  necessary ;  if  God  could  deal  with  mankind  accord- 
ing to  law.  He  need  not  have  dealt  according  to  promise.  As 
faith  in  His  promise  is  what  God  declares  that  He  desires,  the 
other  alternative  method  is  excluded.  The  next  verse  shews  that 
'  they  which  are  of  the  law '  are  resting  their  expectations  on 
a  false  assumption  ;  the  requirements  of  the  law  cannot  be  so 
observed  as  to  secure  acceptance  before  God. 

15.  Where  law  is,  sin  is  provoked  to  opposition  (vii.  7-11)  and 
becomes  transgression;  and  when  sin  thus  becomes  conscious 
defiance,  it  incurs  guilt  and  deserves  punishment.  Paul  dis- 
tinguishes between  '  transgression '  as  disobedience  to  a  known 
commandment  and  *sin'  as  a  tendency  to  self-will  generally,  which 
is  not  reckoned  as  guilt  until  it  assumes  the  form  of  disobedience 

(v.  13)- 

16.  of  faith.  We  must  supply  something.  'It  is'  helps  the 
grammatical  construction,  without  doing  anything  for  the  sense. 
We  must  understand  either  the  inheritance  or  the  promise,  or 
even  more  generally  this  new  order  of  righteousness  like  Abra- 
ham's, which  includes  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews. 

grace.  On  the  human  side  there  can  be  nothing  more  or 
other  than  faith — grateful  acceptance — if  on  the  Divine  side  of  this 
relation  between  God  and  man  there  is  to  be  only  grace — free, 
unmerited  favour  ;  '  grace  *  and  '  faith  *  are  correlative  terms. 

to  the  end.  The  inclusion  of  the  Gentile  as  well  as  the  Jew 
in  the  Divine  favour  could  be  secured  only  by  laying  down  such 
a  condition  as  the  Gentile  could  fulfil  as  well  as  the  Jew,  and 
such  a  condition  is  faith  responsive  to  grace. 

17.  A  father  of  many  nations :  quoted  from  Gen.  xvii.  5,  but 
applied  not  literally  to  nations  physically  descended,  but  figura- 
tively to  all  among  all  the  nations  who  share  his  faith. 

before  him :  rather,  '•  in  the  presence  of  him.'     Abraham,  so 


TO  THE  ROMANS  4.  i8  143 

believed,  even  God,  who  quickeneth  the  dead,  and  calleth 
the  things  that  are  not,  as  though  they  were.     Who  in  li 

to  speak,  appears  before  God  as  the  representative  of  all  believers, 
who  in  the  eyes  of  men  may  not  be  able  to  make  good  their  claim 
to  be  his  descendants,  but  who  are  so  regarded  by  God,  before 
whom  Abraham  stands  as  their  ancestor.  (A  statement  offering 
resemblance  yet  contrast  to  these  words  is  found  in  Isa.  Ixiii.  i6.) 
Paul  immortalizes  the  moments  of  Abraham's  intercourse  with 
God  (^Gen.  xvii.  i). 

who  quickeneth  the  dead.  Paul  is  thinking  here  first  of  the 
birth  of  Isaac  (19),  and  next  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ  (24). 
The  author  of  Hebrews  adds  another  illustration,  the  restoration 
of  Isaac  to  Abraham  when  he  was  about  to  sacrifice  him  (xi.  19). 

calleth,  &c.  There  are  four  explanations  of  this  phrase  : 
(r)  'speaks  of  non-existent  things  as  though  they  existed';  (2) 
'issues  his  creative  fiat'  ;  (3'  'gives  his  commands  to  the  non- 
existent as  though  existent ' ;  (4)  *  invites  to  life  or  salvation.' 
The  last  explanation  has  no  support  in  the  context.  Against  the 
second  is  the  consideration  that  the  non-existent  is  described  as 
treated  as  existent,  but  the  creative  y?a^  would  abolish  the  non- 
existent and  substitute  the  existent.  The  first  explanation  is  the 
simplest,  but  the  third  the  most  striking.  The  reference  is  to 
Abraham's  numerous  seed  to  whom  the  promise  is  given,  when  as 
yet  he  had  not  even  an  heir.  There  is  a  more  remote  reference 
to  the  Gentiles,  who,  although  not  God's  people,  are  included  in 
the  promise  as  though  the}'  were  (ix.  25-26). 

(iv)  iv.  18-25.  Abraham's  faith  typical.  As  has  already 
been  indicated,  Paul  passes  from  his  proof  that  the  promise  was 
given  to  faith,  and  not  according  to  law,  to  a  comparison  of  Abra- 
ham's faith  with  Christian  faith  with  respect  to  their  object,  {a) 
Abraham's  faith  was  accepted  by  God  instead  of  any  observance 
of  the  requirements  of  the  law,  because  he  frankly  recognized  the 
natural  improbability  of  a  son's  being  born  to  him  by  Sarah,  but 
instead  of  doubting  was  confirmed  in  faith  (or  was  made  physically 
capable  by  his  faith),  and  honoured  God  by  acknowledging  His 
ability  to  fulfil  His  promise,  even  although  that  involved  a  creative 
act  (17-22).  (6)  His  case  is  not  recorded  on  account  of  its  personal 
interest  only,  but  as  a  typical  instance  of  faith.  The  same  promise 
of  acceptance  by  God  is  made  to  all  who  shew  the  same  faith  in 
God's  power  as  shewn  in  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord,  who  was 
given  over  to  the  hands  of  his  enemies  that  he  might  make  an 
atonement  for  the  sins  of  men,  but  who  rose  again  that  God's 
acceptance  of  his  sacrifice  might  be  declared,  and  that  thus  the 
faith  which  secures  acceptance  before  God  might  be  evoked 
(23-25)- 


144  TO  THE  ROMANS  4.  19-21 

hope  believed  against  hope,  to  the  end  that  he  might 
become  a  father  of  many  nations,  according  to  that  which 

19  had  been  spoken.  So  shall  thy  seed  be.  And  without 
being  weakened  in  faith  he  considered  his  own  body  now 
as  good  as  dead  (he  being  about  a  hundred  years  old), 

20  and  the  deadness  of  Sarah's  womb :  yea,  looking  unto 
the  promise  of  God,  he  wavered  not  through  unbelief, 

21  but  waxed  strong  through  faith,  giving  glory  to  God,  and 


18.  in  hope:  a  subjective  feeling,  ag'ainst  hope:  an  objective 
fact.  The  first  hope  is  the  hope  inspired  by  God's  promise ;  the 
second  is  the  hope  that  any  man  might  have  of  being  a  father. 
The  latter,  resting  on  natural  probability,  Abraham  could  not 
cherish  ;  the  former,  grounded  in  God's  word,  he  did  maintain. 

to  the  end.  This  was  not  the  motive  in  Abraham's  own  mind, 
but  it  was  the  Divine  intention  in  all  God's  dealings. 

So  shall  thy  seed  "be.  This  is  an  allusive  quotation,  the 
meaning  of  which  can  be  discovered  only  by  recalling  the  context 
(Gen.  XV.  5) :  *  And  God  brought  Abram  forth  abroad,  and  said, 
Look  now  toward  heaven,  and  tell  the  stars,  if  thou  be  able  to  tell 
them  :  and  he  said  unto  him.  So  shall  thy  seed  be.' 

19.  he  considered.  Some  ancient  MSS.  read  '  he  considered 
not.'  In  the  latter  case  the  meaning  is  that  strong  in  his  faith 
he  took  no  note  of  the  physical  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  fulfil- 
ment of  God's  promise.  In  the  former  case  Abraham  is  represented 
as  fully  aware  of  all  that  seemed  to  stand  in  the  way  of  God's 
carrying  out  His  purpose,  yet  as  not  allowing  his  faith  to  be  at  all 
weakened  thereby.  Not  oply  is  the  MS.  authority  for  the  omission 
of  the  negative  much  stronger  than  that  for  its  insertion,  but  the 
former  reading  represents  Abraham  in  a  more  heroic  attitude 
than  the  latter.  The  faith  that  ignores  difficulties  is  not  so  great 
as  the  faith  which  persists  while  recognizing  obstacles  fully. 

20.  waxed  strong  through  faith.  This  phrase  has  two  possible 
meanings:  (i)  'He  was  strengthened  in  his  faith.'  (2)  'He 
was  given  the  power  to  become  a  father  through  his  faith,'  that 
is,  his  faith  appropriated  a  supernatural  virtue.  In  the  theology 
of  the  Jewish  schools  the  statement  is  met  with  :  'Abraham 
was  renewed  in  his  nature,  became  a  new  creature,  in  order  to 
accomplish  the  begetting.'  And  the  author  of  Hebrews  affirms 
(xi.  11):  'By  faith  even  Sarah  herself  received  power  to  con- 
ceive seed  when  she  was  past  age,  since  she  counted  him 
faithful  who  had  promised.'  The  second  interpretation  is  un- 
doubtedly to  be  preferred.    It  is  interesting  to  note  that  according 


TO  THE  ROMANS   4.  22-25  MS 

being  fully  assured  that,  what  he  had  promised,  he  was 
able  also  to  perform.     Wherefore  also  it  was  reckoned  22 
unto  him  for  righteousness.     Now  it  was  not  written  for  23 
his  sake  alone,  that  it  was  reckoned  unto  him ;  but  for  24 
our  sake  also,  unto  whom  it  shall  be  reckoned,   who 
believe  on  him  that  raised  Jesus  our  Lord  from  the  dead, 
who  was  delivered  up  for  our  trespasses,  and  was  raised  2. 
for  our  justification. 

to  the  record  in  Genesis,  Abraham's  consideration  of  the  natural 
improbabilities  led  him  at  first  to  receive  God's  promise  with  in- 
credulity. '  Then  Abraham  fell  upon  his  face,  and  laughed,  and  said 
in  his  heart.  Shall  a  child  be  born  unto  him  that  is  an  hundred  j^ears 
old?  and  shall  Sarah,  that  is  ninety  years  old,  bear? '  (xvii.  17.) 
This  incredulity  is  shared  by  Sarah.  'And  Sarah  laughed  within 
herself,  saying,  After  I  am  waxed  old  shall  I  have  pleasure,  my 
lord  being  old  also?'  (xviii.  12.)  Both  Paul  and  the  writer  to  the 
Hebrews  consider  only  the  final  faith,  not  the  temporary  in- 
credulity. 

giving'  glory.  This  does  not  mean  that  Abraham  praised 
God  in  words  only,  but  that  his  faith  redounded  to  God's  honour. 

23.  for  his  sake  alone.  A  Jewish  writing  affirms :  *  Thou  findest 
that  all  that  is  recorded  of  Abraham  is  repeated  in  the  history  of 
his  children.'  (Cf.  i  Cor.  ix.  9.)  The  principle  assumed  in  this 
application  of  the  Scriptures  is  expressed  in  i  Cor.  x.  6,  ir,  and 
Rom.  XV.  4.  Not  historical  interpretation,  but  practical  applica- 
tion of  the  Scriptures  is  Paul's  sole  aim. 

24.  him  that  raised  Jesus  our  Xiord  from  the  dead. 
Christian  faith  is  similar  to  Abraham's  in  the  following  respects : 
(i)  The  object  is  God,  but  (2)  God  as  exercising  the  power  to 
bring  life  out  of  death — in  Abraham's  case,  birth  from  parents 
as  good  as  dead ;  in  Christ's  case,  resurrection  from  the  dead. 

25.  for  our  trespasses:  either  '  because  of  our  trespasses'  as 
a  necessary  result  of  them,  or  *  in  order  to  atone  for  them.'  But 
Christ's  death  is  a  necessary  result  of  our  sins,  because  it  is  God's 
purpose  by  that  death  to  atone  for  them. 

for  our  justification.  This  can  have  no  other  meaning  than 
'with  a  view  to  our  justification.*  This  pregnant  statement, 
however,  demands  an  exposition  of  its  contents.  Christian  faith 
has  its  starting-point  in  the  resurrection  of  Christ ;  for  if  Christ 
had  not  risen,  but  had  perished  in  death,  Christian  faith,  as  such, 
would  have  had  no  object  (Acts  xvii.  31).  Again,  the  Resurrection 
declares  more  fully  the  nature  of  this  object ;  for  by  the  Resurrec- 
tion Christ  is  ordained  Son  of  God  in  power  (Rom.  i.  4).     The 


146  TO  THE  ROMANS  5.   i 

Being  therefore  justified  by  faith,  let  us  have  peace 


Resurrection  once  more  reverses  the  judgement  of  man  on  Christ, 
and  expresses  God's  judgement  of  approval  on  him  (Acts  ii.  36, 
iii.  14,  15).  Thus  the  Resurrection  declares  God's  acceptance  of 
the  sacrifice  of  Christ  as  the  ground  on  which  sinners  are  forgiven 
(i  Cor.  XV.  13-17),  and  accordingly  renders  possible  the  faith  in 
Christ's  death  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin  which  secures  justification  for 
the  individual  believer.  Lastly,  it  is  the  Resurrection  that  is  the 
starting-point  of  that  fellowship  of  the  believer  with  the  risen 
Christ  by  which  the  transformation  of  the  Christian  character  is 
effected  (Rom.  vi.  i-ii),  and  that  is  the  pledge  and  the  pattern  of 
man's  immortality,  glory,  blessedness  ( i  Cor.  xv.  20,  23  ;  2  Cor.  iv. 
14;  Col.  i.  18;  Rom.  viii.  11). 

(4)  V.  i-ir.      The  hlissfid  effects  of  righteousness. 

After  having  shewn  man's  need  and  God's  provision  of  righteous- 
ness, and  having  proved  that  the  way  in  which  God's  provision 
meets  man's  need,  grace  offered  to  faith,  does  not  make  the  law 
of  none  effect  but  establishes  it,  Paul  anticipates  the  gradual 
development  of  his  theme  by  (i)  briefly  indicating  what  the 
blissful  effects  of  this  righteousness  are  (1-4'),  and  (ii)  clearly 
demonstrating  the  solid  foundation  of  Divine  purpose  on  which  the 
structure  of  the  Christian  experience  rests  (5-1 1). 

(i)  V.  1-4.  Description  of  the  blissful  effects.  The  blissful  effects 
of  justification  partially  possessed  and  gradually  to  be  realized 
are  reconciliation  with  God,  the  enjo3'ment  of  God's  favour,  the 
gladness  inspired  by  the  hope  of  sharing  in  the  holiness  and 
blessedness  of  God,  and  the  confirmation  of  this  hope  in  the 
endurance  of  trial  cheerfully,  and  the  discipline  of  character  which 
this  endurance  involves. 

1.  Being- therefore  justified  by  faith.  The  foundation  of  the 
Christian  life  has  been  laid  in  the  previous  chapters  ;  Paul  now 
sketches  the  structure  that  is  to  be  built  on  it. 

let  us  have.  Some  ancient  authorities  read  '  we  have '  (R.  V. 
marg.).  While  the  external  evidence,  that  of  MSS.,  &c..  is 
overwhelming  for  the  former  reading,  the  internal  evidence — what 
seems  to  suit  the  context  best — seems  to  be  as  strongly  for  the 
latter.  This  is  the  didactic  part  of  the  letter,  and  the  practical 
begins  only  with  chapter  xii.  It  is  not  Paul's  habit,  as  of  the  author 
of  Hebrews,  to  mingle  exposition  and  exhortation.  He  is  here 
dealing  with  the  blissful  effects  of  justification,  and  we  should 
therefore  expect  him  to  state  these  not  as  duties  to  be  done,  but 
as  facts  already  experienced.  On  the  other  hand  these  are 
subjective  effects,  effects  in  the  disposition  of  the  believer,  and 


TO  THE  ROMANS  5.  2,  3  i47 

with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  through  whom  2 
also  we  have  had  our  access  by  faith  into  this  grace 
wherein  we  stand ;    and  let  us  rejoice  in  hope  of  the 
glory  of  God.     And  not  only  so,  but  let  us  also  rejoice  3 


the  degree  in  which  he  experiences  them  will  depend  on  himself. 
Hence  statement  easily  passes  into  appeal.  Paul  declares  that 
such  are  the  effects  of  justification,  if  the  believer  does  not  put 
any  hindrance  in  their  way.  While  it  is  justification  that  first 
makes  possible  these  inward  dispositions,  yet  the  believer  must 
fulfil  the  conditions  of  their  reahzation.  In  this  way  we  may 
follow  the  MS.  authority,  and  yet  explain  the  reading  in  harmony 
with  the  context.  This  explanation  applies  also  to  other  variant 
readings  in  these  verses. 

let  us  have  peace.  This  means  Met  us  keep  or  enjoy  peace,' 
not  in  the  submission  of  our  wishes  to  God's  will,  or  the  harmony 
of  our  aims  with  His  ends  (for  this  subject  is  not  dealt  with  till 
the  next  division  of  the  Epistle,  the  doctrine  of  sanctification\  but 
in  the  conscious  enjoyment  of  the  reconciliation  with  God  Christ 
has  procured  for  us,  the  acquittal  of  our  guilt,  our  acceptance  to 
God's  favour,  the  restoration  of  our  personal  communion  with 
God.  'Peace'  here  has  the  same  sense  as  'reconciliation'  in 
verse  11,  and  what  needs  to  be  said  about  the  conception  may  be 
deferred  to  the  note  on  that  word.  Distrust  of  God's  love  for  us, 
suspicion  of  His  dealings,  dread  of  His  judgement,  all  the  feelings 
of  estrangement  from  God  which  sin  produces,  are  condemned 
by  this  exhortation  as  unbecoming  and  unwarranted  in  the 
justified. 

2.  have  had  our  access:  better,  'have  got  our  introduction.' 
(Of.  Eph.  ii.  18.)  The  idea  suggested  is  that  of  the  presence- 
chamber  of  a  king,  into  which  his  subjects  cannot  enter  alone,  but 
must  be  introduced  by  some  person  in  authority.  Christ  is  here 
the  introducer. 

grace.  The  Divine  cause  is  put  for  the  human  result.  What 
is  meant  is  the  state  into  which  the  justified  sinner  is  introduced 
by  God's  favour  in  Christ. 

stand :  stand  fast  or  firm  ;  a  state  of  security,  and  therefore  of 
confidence. 

let  us  rejoice,  and  not  *  we  rejoice' ;  see  note  on  verse  i. 

rejoice:  Gr.  'glory,'  'make  our  boast.'  The  Jew  made  his 
boast  of  what  he  had  done  ;  this  Paul  condemns.  The  Christian 
makes  his  boast  of  what  God  will  do  ;  this  Paul  commends. 

glory  of  God :  see  note  on  iii.  23. 

3.  not  only  so.  The  hope  of  the  future  good,  and  the  endurance 
of  the  present  ill  go  together. 

L   2 


148  TO  THE  ROMANS   5.  4,5 

in  our  tribulations  :    knowing  that  tribulation  worketh 

4  patience ;  and  patience,  probation ;  and  probation,  hope  : 

5  and  hope  putteth  not  to  shame ;  because  the  love  of  God 
hath  been  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  through  the  Holy 

triljulations :  bodily  hardships  and  sufferings,  which  Paul 
himself  so  abundantly  experienced,  and  which  he  regarded  as 
inseparable  from  every  Christian  experience  (Rom.  viii.  35 ; 
I  Cor.  iv.  11-13,  vii.  26-32,  xv.  30-32;  2  Cor.  i.  3-10,  xi. 
23-27). 

patience :  *  manly  endurance,'  '  fortitude,'  an  active  virtue, 
and  not  only  a  passive  grace,  as  '  patience '  suggests. 

4.  probation :  a  character  that  has  been  tested,  has  stood  the 
test,  and  can  confidently  be  put  to  any  test  again,  'The  temper 
of  the  veteran  as  opposed  to  that  of  the  raw  recruit'  (2  Tim. 

"•  3)- 

hope:  resting  on  faith  in  God's  word,  but  strengthened  with 
the  discipline  of  the  whole  character. 

(ii)  V.  5-1 1.  Demonstration  of  the  blissful  effects.  (a)  The 
blessings  which  the  Christian  believer  enjoys  will  not  prove 
illusions  ;  they  are  guaranteed  to  him  by  the  Spirit  of  God  filling 
his  consciousness  with  the  certainty  of  God's  love,  of  which 
the  convincing  evidence  has  been  given  in  the  death  of  Christ 
for  the  good  of  the  undeserving,  contrary  to  all  human  analo- 
gies, as  only  in  very  exceptional  circumstances  would  one  man 
be  willing  to  die  for  another  (5-8).  {b)  When  God  has  done 
so  much,  acquitting  the  sinful,  and  bringing  back  the  estranged  to 
His  love,  He  may  be  confidently  expected  to  do  what  is  not 
so  great,  deliver  from  judgement  and  doom.  If  the  lesser  power  of 
His  death  has  accomplished  the  harder  task,  the  greater  power 
of  His  life  will  not  fail  in  the  easier  (9-10).  (c)  Not  only  is  the 
future  good  thus  assured,  but  the  Christian,  by  his  faith  in  Christ 
restored  to  loving  communion  with  God,  has  his  joy  in  that 
communion  (11). 

5.  hope  putteth  not  to  shame:  'does  not  disappoint,*  'does 
not  prove  illusory'  (2  Cor.  vii.  14,  ix.  4).  The  thought  may  have 
been  suggested  by  the  Greek  version  of  Isa.  xxviii.  16,  '  he  that 
believeth  shall  not  be  put  to  shame.' 

the  love  of  God :  not  our  love  to  God,  but  God's  love  to  us, 
or  rather,  our  sense  of  God's  love,  for  the  reality  of  that  love 
cannot  be  the  basis  of  our  hope  until  we  gain  a  consciousness 
of  it. 

hath  been  shed  abroad :  lit.  *  has  been  poured  out.'  Owing 
to  the  intense  heat  and  frequent  scarcity  of  water  in  the  East, 
the  communication  of  spiritual  benefits  is  often  represented  by 


TO  THE  ROMANS  5.  6,  7  149 

Ghost  which  was  given  unto  us.  For  while  we  were  yet  6 
weak,  in  due  season  Christ  died  for  the  ungodly.  For  7 
scarcely   for   a   righteous   man   will   one  die :    for  per- 

the  metaphor  of  *  pouring  water '  (Isa.  xliv.  3;  Joel  ii.  28).     Cf. 
John  vii.  38,  39. 

Holy  Ghost :  the  first  mention  in  this  Epistle  of  the  Spirit, 
to  whose  presence  and  activity  Paul  ascribes  all  his  experiences 
as  a  Christian.  The  Christian  life  is  a  life  in  the  Spirit  (viii.  i, 
4,  9),  who  is  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelling  in  the  believer  (9),  and 
the  Spirit  of  Christ,  without  whom  no  man  can  claim  to  be  a 
believer  (9^.  The  Spirit  not  only  dwells  in  the  believer  (11),  but 
also  leads  him  (14)  ;  bears  witness  with  his  spirit  to  his  sonship 
and  heirship  (16)  as  Spirit  of  adoption  (15),  and  as  Himself  the 
firstfruits  ;  helps  his  infirmity  in  prayer  by  making  intercession 
for  him  (26),  as  life  is  the  means  whereby  God  quickens  his 
mortal  body  in  the  Resurrection  (11).  He  is  the  power  by 
whom  signs  and  wonders  are  wrought  (xv.  19) ;  but  also  the 
source  of  the  Christian  virtues  and  graces,  as  love  (30),  righteous- 
ness and  peace  and  joy  (xiv.  17),  hope  (xv,  13),  and  holiness 
(16).  One  of  the  conspicuous  features  and  distinctive  merits  of 
Paul's  doctrine  of  the  Spirit  is  that  it  allows  the  supernatural 
manifestations  of  the  Spirit's  power  to  fall  into  the  background, 
although  many  of  the  early  church  seem  to  have  attached  special 
importance  to  these,  and  brings  into  the  forefront  the  spiritual  and 
ethical  results  of  the  Spirit's  work. 

6.  weak:  incapable  of  saving  ourselves  by  meriting  forgiveness 
and  reward  through  fulfilling  the  law. 

due  season.  It  is  a  favourite  thought  with  Paul  that  Christ 
came  just  at  the  fittest  moment  in  the  world's  history  (Gal.  iv.  4  ; 
2  Cor.  vi.  2  ;  Eph.  i.  10  ;  i  Tim.  ii.  6,  vi.  15  ;  Titus  i.  3  :  see  also 
iii.  26).  The  historical  justification  of  this  thought  may  be  found 
in  the  extent  of  the  Roman  Empire  as  an  open  field  of  evangeliza- 
tion, the  diffusion  of  the  Greek  language  as  a  channel  of  general 
communication,  the  dispersion  of  the  Jews  as  a  preparation  by 
their  propaganda  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel. 

ung-odly.  Paul  has  shewn  in  chap.  i.  how  impiety  is  the 
root  of  immorality. 

*7.  This  verse  explains,  by  means  of  human  analogies,  how 
striking  a  proof  of  the  love  of  God  is  afforded  by  the  death  of 
Christ. 

rig-hteous  .  .  .  good.  There  is  evidently  a  contrast  intended 
between  righteous  and  good  :  the  righteous  man  is  he  who  acts 
in  strict  accordance  with  moral  law ;  the  good,  he  who  shews  a 
genial  and  generous  disposition.  The  Gnostics  called  the  God 
of  the  O.  T.  righteous — of  the  N.  T.  good.      As  the  good  man 


I50  TO  THE  ROMANS  5.  8-10 

adventure  for  the  good  man  some  one  would  even  dare 

8  to  die.     But  God  commendeth  his  own  love  toward  us, 
in  that,  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us. 

9  Much  more  then,  being  now  justified  by  his  blood,  shall 
10  we  be  saved  from  the  wrath  of  God  through  him.     For 

if,  while  we  were  enemies,  we  were  reconciled  to  God 

inspires  an  affection  the  righteous   cannot  command,  a  greater 
sacrifice  will  be  made  on  his  behalf. 

the  good  man :  or,  '  that  which  is  good.'  The  Greek  may 
be  either  masculine  or  neuter,  but  the  neuter,  *  a  good  cause,'  is 
excluded,  because  the  contrast  is  of  persons. 

8.  Ms  own  love.  The  motive  of  redemption  is  not  in  man, 
but  in  God  Himself.  The  closer  the  relationship  between  God 
and  Christ  is  conceived  to  be,  the  fuller  the  revelation  of  God's 
love  in  him  proves  to  our  mind  and  heart ;  the  lower  the  con- 
ception of  Christ's  Person,  the  narrower  the  idea  of  God's 
Fatherhood. 

sinners.  Therefore  in  a  state  of  enmity  to  God,  undeserving 
of  His  favour  ;  man  might  make  a  sacrifice  for  one  who  had  proved 
himself  worthy,  and  had  endeared  himself:  God  makes  a  sacrifice 
for  those  without  any  desert  or  attractiveness. 

for  us:  'on  our  behalf,'  not  'in  our  stead,'  is  the  meaning  of 
the  preposition  used  here.  Undue  stress  should  not  be  laid  on 
the  distinction,  for  if  '  on  our  behalf.'  that  we  might  be  saved 
from  the  doom  of  death,  Christ  himself  endured  that  doom  in  the 
darkness  and  lowliness  of  his  soul,  if  by  his  suffering  we  are 
saved  from  suffering,  what  he  endures  'in  our  behalf  is  surely 
also  endured  'in  our  stead.' 

9.  Much  more  then.  Christ's  death  to  gain  forgiveness  for 
sinners  now  is  a  greater  proof  of  God's  love  than  the  salvation  of 
saints  by  his  life  at  the  last  da3' ;  and  if  God  has  done  the  greater, 
much  more  will  He  do  the  less. 

justified  by  his  blood.  Justification  or  the  sinners  ac- 
ceptance before  God  is  a  result  of  the  propitiation  in  Christ's 
death,  and  is  distinguished  b3'  Paul  from  'salvation,'  the  deliverance 
of  the  righteous  from  the  wrath  (of  God)  which  shall  fall  on  the 
wicked  in  the  final  judgement. 

10.  enemies.  Not  only  estranged  in  mind  from  God,  but 
necessarily  and  deservedly  in  a  hostile  relation  to  God,  subject 
to  His  wrath,  liable  to  His  punishment ;  hence  reconciled  means 
mutual  removal  of  hindrances  to  loving  fellowship,  not  only  man's 
estrangement  from  God  set  aside,  but  also  God's  displeasure 
against  us  as  sinners  taken  out  of  the  way.  This  follows  from 
the  sense  which  is  attached  by  Paul  to  the  death  of  Christ  as  not 


TO  THE  ROMANS  5.  11,12  151 

through  the  death  of  his  Son,  much  more,  being  re- 
conciled, shall  we  be  saved  by  his  life ;  and  not  only  so,  ^  i 
but  we  also  rejoice  in  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
through  whom  we  have  now  received  the  reconciliation. 
Therefore,  as  through  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  12 

merely  a  display  of  Divine  love  to  melt  our  hard  hearts,  but  as 
also  a  propitiation,  a  revelation  of  the  Divine  righteousness. 

by  Ms  life :  in  personal  union  with  the  living  Saviour  and 
Lord.  The  full  exposition  of  this  phrase  must  be  reserved  for  the 
notes  on  vi.  8-11,  viii.  10,  11. 

11.  and  not  only  so,  but.  The  objective  facts,  justification 
now,  salvation  hereafter,  are  accompanied  by  the  correspojiding 
subjective  feeling,  joy  in,  or  boast  of,  God.  The  participle  and  not 
tl;e  indicative  of  the  verb  is  the  better  attested  reading;  this  is 
another  illustration  of  the  loose  grammatical  construction  of  some 
of  Paul's  sentences. 

reconciliation.  This  is  the  same  as  the  'peace'  of  verse  i. 
While  some  theologians  contend  that  the  reconciliation  is  only 
on  the  part  of  man,  man's  hostility  to  God  changed  to  submis  ion, 
and  cannot  be  on  the  part  of  God,  as  God  is  Love  'without 
variableness,  or  shadow  of  turning';  yet,  on  the  other  hand, 
(i)  we  read  here  of  receiving  the  reconciliation  from  God  as 
a  gift;  (2)  we  find  'enemies'  contrasted  in  such  a  way  with 
'beloved'  (xi.  28',  that  as  the  latter  can  mean  only  objects  of 
God's  love,  the  former  cannot  mean  anything  else  than  '  exposed 
to  God's  hostility';  (3'i  God's  wrath  against  sin,  here  and  here- 
after, is  asserted  i.  18)  ;  (4}  the  death  of  Christ  is  described  as 
propitiator^',  and  this  can  only  mean  that  in  that  death  God  is 
propitiated  ;  that  is,  Christ's  death  as  an  adequate  and  effective 
manifestation  of  God's  righteousness  in  condemning  and  punishing 
sin  makes  possible  a  change  in  God's  attitude  to  sinners,  although 
that  does  not  imply  a  changed  disposition  or  intention.  Grieved, 
wounded  love  can  now  forgive,  and  find  joy  in  the  forgiveness  ; 
God's  good  pleasure  hindered  and  thwarted  by  sin  can  now  have 
free  course. 

(5)  V.  12-21.     Christ  more  to  the  race  than  Adam. 

This  passage  is  not  merely  a  rhetorical  peroration  to  this  division 
of  the  Epistle  ;  it  is  a  logical  demonstration  of  a  fact  without  which 
the  argument  itself  would  not  be  completed.  On  the  one  hand 
tlie  righteousness  of  God  is  in  one  person,  Christ,  operative  and 
communicative  in  his  death  and  life  ;  on  the  other,  sin  is  diffused 
throughout  the  whole  race.  Is  there  or  can  there  be  such  a 
connexion  between  one  person  and  the  whole  race  as  to  secure 


152  TO  THE  ROMANS  5.  12 

world,  and  death  through  sin ;  and  so  death  passed  unto 

for  all  what  one  has  done?  Paul  first  of  all  proves  that  such 
a  connexion  is  already  existing  in  human  history  in  the  relation 
of  Adam  to  the  race,  and  therefore  the  possibiHty  of  such  a  con- 
nexion between  Christ  and  mankind  may  be  assumed.  This  is 
the  comparison  between  Adam  and  Christ  (12-14).  Paul  in  the 
next  place  shews  that  such  a  connexion  is  for  many  reasons  even 
more  probable  in  the  case  of  Christ  than  of  Adam.  This  is  the 
contrast  between  Adam  and  Christ  (15-21),  Putting  this  argu- 
ment in  modern  phraseology  it  is  simply  this:  (i)  the  soUdarity 
of  the  race  is  a  condition  for  the  diffusion  of  good,  even  as  it 
has  proved  for  the  extension  of  evil,  and  (2)  the  result  will  be 
favourable,  and  not  adverse  to  progress,  (a)  Even  as  the  effects 
of  Adam's  sin  extended  beyond  himself  to  include  the  whole 
race,  so  did  the  effects  of  Christ's  work,  of  whom  Adam  was  a 
type  (12).  (Z»)  Through  Adam  sin  entered  the  race,  and  death 
as  penalty  of  sin  ;  and  as  all  men  shared  Adam's  sin,  so  there 
fell  on  them  his  doom,  even  although  till  the  law  was  given  by 
Moses  their  sin  could  not  be  regarded  as  involving  the  guilt 
of  conscious  disobedience  (13,  14).  (c)  But  if  there  is  some 
resemblance  between  Adam  and  Christ  there  is  still  greater 
difference :  (i)  in  moral  quality — Adam's  act  was  disobedience, 
Christ's  work  is  undeserved  kindness  ;  (ii)  in  immediate  con- 
sequence— condemnation  through  Adam,  justification  in  Christ ; 
(iii)  in  ultimate  consequence — death  from  Adam,  life  from  Christ; 
(iv)  in  mode  of  connexion — condemnation  expanding  from  Adam 
to  include  the  race,  the  sins  of  the  race  concentrating  in  Christ  to 
be  forgiven  (15,  16).  {d)  The  contrast  may  be  set  forth  sum- 
marily in  two  propositions.  By  his  trespass  Adam  made  all 
mankind  sinful,  brought  on  them  a  judgement,  resulting  in  the 
dominion  of  death  ;  by  his  obedience  Christ  brought  to  all  men 
grace,  forgiveness,  righteousness,  and  life  (17-19).  {e)  Between 
this  order  of  sin  and  this  order  of  grace  the  law  came,  but  its 
effect  was  not  to  restrain,  but  to  multiply  sin,  and  yet  it  thus 
prepared  for  grace,  inasmuch  as  the  abundance  of  sin  was  the 
occasion  for  an  exceeding  abundance  of  grace  (20).  (/)  The 
purpose  of  God  was  thus  made  manifest,  to  supersede  the  order 
of  sin  resulting  in  the  dominion  of  death  by  the  order  of  grace, 
which  has  its  immediate  consequence  in  righteousness,  and  its 
ultimate  effect  in  eternal  life.  This  new  order  has  been  established 
and  is  being  maintained  by  the  one  person,  whom  faith  confesses 
Saviour,  Messiah,  Lord  (21). 

12-14.  The  structure  of  this  sentence  is  very  irregular.  Paul 
begins  the  sentence  as  though  he  intended  it  to  run,  *  As  through 
one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin,  so  through 
one  man  righteousness  entered,  and  life  through  righteousness.' 


TO  THE  ROMANS  5.  13  153 

all  men,  for  that  all  sinned : — for  until  the  law  sin  was  in  i; 

But  he  is  led  to  explain  how  death  became  the  common  lot,  and 
then  vvhj%  even  before  there  was  guilt,  death  reigned  ;  and  so 
he  abandons  the  construction  he  has  begun,  and  instead  of  the 
conclusion  we  might  have  expected,  he  introduces  his  reference 
to  Christ  in  a  subordinate  relative  clause,  '  who  is  a  figure  of  him 
that  was  to  come.' 

12.  througli  one  man :  Adam.  Paul  assumes  the  common  tradi- 
tion of  his  age  and  people  about  the  early  history  of  mankind — 
one  common  ancestor  of  the  race,  the  introduction  of  sin  through 
his  disobedience,  the  infliction  of  the  sentence  of  death  as  a 
penalty  on  sin.  But,  be  it  observed,  he  is  not  attempting  here 
to  account  either  for  sin  or  death  ;  he  introduces  this  reference  to 
Adam  solely  to  justify  his  assertion  that  Christ's  sacrifice  is  the 
means  of  salvation  to  the  whole  race.  His  doctrine  of  redemption 
in  Christ  does  not  rest  on  his  conception  of  man's  primitive  state, 
and  docs  not  stand  or  fall  with  it,  as  is  often  assumed.  But  the 
whole  subject  will  be  discussed  more  fully  in  a  note  at  the  end  of 
this  passage. 

sin.     See  note  on  iii.  9  for  Paul's  teaching  on  this  subject. 

death.  Death  in  its  widest  aspects,  not  as  physical  dissolu- 
tion merely,  but  embracing  all  that  this  event  means  for  the 
consciousness  of  a  sinful  race. 

passed  into :  '  made  its  way  to  each  individual  member  of 
the  race,'  as  has  been  said,  '  like  a  father's  inheritance  divided 
among  his  children.' 

for  that.  The  Greek  thus  rendered  is  the  preposition  meaning 
*at,'  'by,*  'on,'  and  the  relative  pronoun,  either  masculine  or 
neuter,  'whom'  or  'which.*  There  has  been  a  great  variety 
of  interpretations  of  this  seemingly  simple  phrase,  (i)  Some 
commentators  take  the  relative  as  masculine,  with  Adam  as  its 
antecedent,  and  render  'in  whom*;  but  against  this  there  are 
grammatical  objections.  (2)  A  still  less  probable  interpretation 
is  that  which  makes  death  the  antecedent.  (3)  Taking  the  relative 
as  neuter,  the  meaning  has  been  taken  to  be  '  in  like  manner  as,' 
'in  so  far  as' ;  but  the  simplest  and  most  probable  translation  is 
to  treat  the  phrase  as  a  conjunction,  and  render  '  because.' 

all  sinned.  The  question  is.  In  what  sense?  (i)  As  Adam 
was  the  father  of  the  race  all  the  descendants  sinned  in  his  sin, 
even  as  Levi  paid  tithes  to  Melchisedec  '  in  the  loins '  of  Abraham 
(Heb.  vii.  9,  10).  He  was  the  representative  of  mankind,  and  all 
men  arc  responsible  for  what  he  did.  But  by  adding  '  in  Adam,' 
Paul  would  have  made  that  clear  if  that  had  been  his  meaning. 
This  sense  cannot  be  got  out  of  the  words  as  they  stand.  (2) 
Taking  the  words  in  their  ordinary  sense,  some  commentators 
render  '  all  as  a  matter  of  fact  by  their  own  choice  committed 


154  TO  THE  ROMANS  5.  h,  15 

the  world :  but  sin  is  not  imputed  when  there  is  no  law. 

14  Nevertheless  death  reigned  from  Adam  until  Moses,  even 
over  them  that  had  not  sinned  after  the  likeness  of  Adam's 
transgression,  who  is  a  figure  of  him  that  was  to  come. 

15  But  not  as  the  trespass,  so  also  is  the  free  gift.    For  if  by 

sin ' ;  but  (a^  Paul  goes  on  in  the  next  verse  to  shew  that  till 
the  time  of  Moses,  in  the  absence  of  law,  the  descendants  of 
Adam  could  not  sin  in  the  full  sense  of  sin  as  Adam  ;  and  {b)  the 
comparison  with  Christ  turns  on  the  transmission  to  Adam's 
descendants  of  the  consequences  of  his  act,  whereas  this  inter- 
pretation represents  every  mart's  sin  as  the  cause  of  his  death, 
and  so  ignores  the  connexion  of  the  race  with  Adam,  (c)  We 
may  take  '  sinned '  in  the  ordinary  sense  as  personal  acts  of 
Adam's  descendants,  but  explain  these  acts  as  the  result  of  a 
tendency  to  sin  inherited  from  Adam.  Without  expressly  stating 
it,  Paul  assumes  the  doctrine  of  original  sin  in  the  sense  of  an 
inherited  tendency  to  sin,  for  what  he  aflfirms  bej'ond  all  doubt 
here  is  that  both  the  sin  and  the  death  of  the  human  race  are  the 
effects  of  Adam's  transgression. 

13.  Inheriting  from  Adam  both  the  tendency  to  sin  and  the 
liability  to  its  punishment,  death,  mankind,  until  the  law  came, 
was  less  guilty  than  Adam  :  its  sin  was  not  conscious,  voluntary 
transgression  of  a  recognized  authority,  and  would  not  have 
deserved  the  full  penalty  of  death.  That  was  an  inherited  evil, 
not  a  personally  incurred  judgement. 

sin  is  not  imputed :  *  brought  into  account,*  regarded  as  guilt 
itself  deserving  penalty. 

14.  death  reig-ned.  Death  is  personified  as  sin  had  beeh,  and 
is  represented  as  a  tj-rant  wielding  universal  dominion. 

Moses.  After  the  law  had  once  been  given  the  chosen  people 
was,  as  regards  moral  knowledge,  in  the  position  Adam  had  been. 
Henceforth  sin  was  transgression. 

figoire.  Tiie  Greek  word  means  (i)  'stamp  struck  by  a  die,' 
(2)  'copy'  or  'representation,'  (3")  'mould,'  'pattern,'  and  (4) 
*  type,'  which  has  been  defined  as  '  an  event  or  person  in  history 
corresponding  in  certain  characteristic  features  to  another  event 
or  person.'  The  type  comes  first  in  time,  and  is  followed  by  the 
anti-type. 

liini  that  was  to  come:  'the  coming  one,'  but  coming  after 
the  time  of  Adam,  not  '  him  who  is  yet  to  come*  (with  reference 
to  the  Second  Advent). 

15.  trespass:  lit.  *a  step  or  fall  sideways.'  This  is  the  third 
word  used  by  Paul  to  describe  moral  evil.  If  the  literal  sense 
of  sin,  'missing  the  mark,'  suggests  failure  to  realize  the  ideal,  the 


TO  THE  ROMANS   5.  16-18  155 

the  trespass  of  the  one  the  many  died,  much  more  did 
the  grace  of  God,  and  the  gift  by  the  grace  of  the  one 
man,  Jesus  Christ,  abound  unto  the  many.     And  not  as  id 
through  one  that  sinned,  so  is  the  gift :  for  the  judgement 
ccifne  of  one  unto  condemnation,  but  the  free  gift  came  of 
many  trespasses  unto  justification.    For  if,  by  the  trespass  17 
of  the  one,  death  reigned  through  the  one ;  much  more 
shall  they  that  receive  the  abundance  of  grace  and  of  the 
gift  of  righteousness  reign  in  life  through  the  one,  even 
Jesus  Christ.     So  then  as  through  one  trespass  the  judge-  iS 
me?it  came  unto   all   men  to  condemnation ;    even   so 
through  one  act  of  righteousness  the  free  gift  came  unto 

literal  sense  of  trespass  suggests  a  relapse  even  from  the  attained 
good.     Sin  is  not  ox\\y  imperfection,  but  even  deterioration. 

free  ^\S\,.  The  Greek  word  is  a  derivation  of  the  word 
rendered  in  the  N.  T.  '  grace,'  and  this  connexion  would  be  shewn 
by  rendering  'act  of  grace*  or  'gift  of  grace';  in  the  plural  the  same 
term  is  used  for  the  supernatural  powers  that  often  accompanied 
the  reception  of  the  Spirit. 

the  oiie :  Adam,     the  many :  all  mankind. 

much  more.  This  verse  begins  to  shew  the  unlikeness  of 
Christ  to  Adam.  The  good  results  of  Christ's  work  may  be  expected 
to  exceed  the  evil  consequences  of  Adam's  act. 

g"ift:  'boon,'  award  reserved  for  the  highest  and  best,  good 
bestowed.  In  verse  17  the  gift  is  defined  further  as  'the  gift  of 
righteousness';  this  is  the  justification  the  sinner  gets  in  Christ. 

by  the  grace  is  connected  with  'gift,'  not  'abound.' 

16.  justification :  lit.  'act  of  righteousness,'  the  Divine  sentence 
by  which  all  sinners  who  believe  are  in  Christ  pronounced 
righteous. 

17.  through  the  one.  Subjects  of  death's  tyranny  become 
sovereigns.  Christ  accomplishes  all  that  mankind  needs  in  order 
to  escape  the  tyranny  of  death  and  attain  the  sovereignty  of  life. 

18.  so  then.  Paul  now  begins  to  sum  up  what  has  been  proved 
in  the  previous  verses. 

one  act  of  righteousness.  This  phrase  renders  the  same 
Greek  word  as  is  rendered  'justification '  in  verse  16,  and  there  is 
no  adequate  reason  for  making  any  change.  The  word  here  as 
there  means,  *  the  Divine  sentence  of  justification  pronounced  on 
the  race.'  It  is  doubtful  whether  it  can  mean,  as  some  maintain, 
'the  righteous  act,'' the  obedience' of  Christ.     Although  this  §ense 


156  TO  THE  ROMANS   5.  19-21 

19  all  men  to  justification  of  life.  For  as  through  the  one 
man's  disobedience  the  many  were  made  sinners,  even 
so  through  the  obedience  of  the  one  shall  the  many  be 

20  made  righteous.  And  the  law  came  in  beside,  that  the 
trespass  might  abound ;  but  where  sin  abounded,  grace 

21  did  abound  more  exceedingly:    that,  as  sm  reigned  in 

would  offer  a  more  direct  contrast  to  '  the  trespass'  of  Adam,  yet 
the  effect  of  Christ's  act  may  be  opposed  to  Adam's  act. 

justification  of  life  :  justification  which  has,  as  its  immediate 
consequence,  hfe. 

19.  disobedience.  It  was  this  that  made  Adam's  sin  trans- 
gression. 

were  made.  We  may  ask,  In  what  sense?  The  answer  is  this, 
'  All  the  effects  of  Adam's  sin  as  transmitted  to  his  descendants, 
apart  from  their  personal  transgressions  are  included  on  the  one 
side  ;  and  all  the  results  of  Christ's  work  apart  from  their  personal 
efforts  on  the  other.' 

obedience :  the  moral,  as  propitiation  is  the  religious,  aspect 
of  the  cross. 

shall ...  be  made.  The  future  does  not  refer  to  the  last  judge- 
ment, but  to  the  successive  generations  of  believers,  and  therefore 
includes  the  present. 

20.  cante  in  beside:  as  an  'after-thought,'  a  'parenthesis.' 
Paul  thus  expresses  its  temporary  and  relative  character. 

that  the  trespass  mig-ht  abound:  better,  'be  multiplied.' 
The  law  was  given  to  restrain  sin,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  its  effect 
was  in  many  cases  to  provoke  sin  (vii.  10,  13),  and  as  this  sin  was 
disregard  and  defiance  of  restraint  it  was  now  trespass  or  trans- 
gression, and  involved  greater  guilt.  This  secondary  result  is 
here  represented  as  the  primary  purpose. 

21.  death:  the  most  evident,  permanent,  and  universal  result 
of  the  dominion  of  sin  over  the  race. 

rig'hteoiisness.  Here  still  in  the  sense  of  righteousness  of 
God,  justification,  not  in  the  sense  of  righteous  character.  20,  21 
illustrate  Paul's  Christian  optimism  ;  the  good  is  greater,  stronger, 
more  enduring  than  the  evil. 

Adam's  Sin  and  its  Results  (12-21). 

In  this  contrast  between  Adam  and  Christ,  Paul  assumes,  as 
every  Christian  of  the:  Apostolic  Age  assumed,  that  Adam  was 
an  historical  personality,  that  the  record  of  the  Fall  in  Genesis 
was  a  narrative  of  facts,  that  sin  and  death  were  introduced  into 
the  race  as  the  penalty  of  the  disobedience  of  its  one  ancestor. 


TO  THE  ROMANS.    5.  21  157 

death,   even   so   might  grace   reign   through   righteous- 

Apart  altogether  from  any  objection  that  anthropology  might 
urge  against  this  view,  even  a  moderate  critical  exegesis  recognizes 
the  symbolical  character  of  the  narrative  in  Genesis.  The  question 
is  not  whether  we  can  reconcile  these  two  views,  but  whether 
the  essential  significance  of  Paul's  argument  is  invalidated  by 
recognizing  that  in  this  matter  he  shared  the  intellectual  limitations 
of  his  age.  That  the  whole  race  has  sprung  from  a  common 
ancestr3',  the  theory  of  evolution  would  tend  rather  to  confirm  than 
to  disprove.  That  the  primitive  state  was  one  of  spiritual  and 
moral  perfection,  as  Christian  theology  has  sometimes  affirmed, 
and  as  modern  anthropology  would  most  certainly  deny,  Paul 
does  not  assert.  His  words  in  i  Cor.  xv.  47,  that  *  the  first  man  is 
of  the  earth,  earthy,'  would  indicate  rather  that  he  recognized  in 
some  degree  the  imperfections  of  that  state.  The  doctrine  of  the 
flesh  too  indicates  that  he  saw  in  man's  nature  as  embodied  spirit 
a  possibility  of  evil  that  might  very  easily  become  an  actuality. 
It  cannot  be  denied,  however,  that  he  represents  Adam's  condition 
as  one  of  greater  responsibility,  because  clearer  knowledge  and 
fuller  freedom,  than  that  of  his  descendants.  He  transgressed 
a  positive  command  ;  they  sinned,  but  in  the  absence  of  law  their 
sin  was  not  imputed  to  them  as  guilt.  Just  as  in  describing  the 
heathen  world  Paul's  view  is  confined  to  the  Roman  Empire,  so 
in  recording  the  moral  history  of  mankind  Paul's  horizon  is  limited 
by  the  sacred  traditions  of  his  own  people.  The  only  law  he 
thinks  of  is  the  law  of  Moses;  but  we  may  generalize  his  conception 
of  the  giving  of  the  law  as  the  awakening  of  the  moral  conscious- 
ness, and  may  see  in  the  distinction  he  makes  between  the 
period  before  the  law  and  the  period  after  the  law  a  recognition 
of  a  moral  development  for  the  race.  So  far  as  our  present 
knowledge  goes,  we  may  not  be  able  to  justify  the  exception 
Paul  makes  of  the  earliest  ancestor  of  the  race  ;  but  must  admit 
that  his  moral  consciousness  was  probably  not  less,  but  more 
rudimentary  than  that  of  his  descendants.  But  whenever  and 
however  a  conscious  and  voluntary  transgression  of  a  law 
recognized  as  valid  by  the  developing  moral  consciousness  took 
place,  sin  and  guilt  became  facts  in  human  history.  Mankind  is 
a  fallen  race,  because  its  conduct  ever  falls  short  of  its  conscience. 
That  this  need  not  be  so,  man's  sense  of  freedom  and  feeling  of 
guilt — ultimate  facts  beyond  which  we  cannot  get — prove.  That 
heredity  is  an  important  and  influential  factor  in  the  moral  history 
of  the  race,  which  may  be  regarded  as  an  organic  unity,  modern 
investigation  confirms.  The  Pauline  assumptions  then,  that  sin  is 
not  a  necessity  but  due  to  an  abuse  of  liberty,  that  there  has  been 
a  development  of  the  moral  consciousness  involving  increasing 
responsibility,  that  heredity  favours  the  diffusion  and  transmission 


158  TO  THE  ROMANS  5.  21 

ness  unto  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

of  sin,  are  truths  not  contradicted,  but  even  confirmed  by  our  wider 
knowledge.  Can  this,  however,  be  also  said  of  the  connexion  he 
asserts  between  sin  and  death  ?  Death,  it  is  said,  is  a  natural 
necessity  for  every  vital  organism,  to  which  living  creatures  before 
man's  advent  were  already  subject  There  is  no  evidence  that 
man's  sin  did  or  could  so  change  not  only  his  own  constitution, 
but  even  the  organization  of  other  living  beings,  as  to  make  them 
with  him  liable  to  death.  To  this  valid  objection  answers  have 
been  attempted,  to  which  it  would  be  a  pity  if  Christian  theology 
bound  itself.  It  has  been  said  that  God,  foreseeing  man's  sin, 
placed  him  in  a  dying  world.  Had  there  been  no  evil  in  prospect, 
the  constitution  of  living  creatures  would  have  been  different.  Or, 
assuming  that  death  would  have  been  the  lot  of  the  lower  creatures 
in  any  case,  man's  nature  has  been  represented  as  endowed  with 
a  possibility  of  immortality,  of  a  development  above  and  beyond 
the  conditions  of  mortality.  Had  man  not  sinned,  he  would  have 
realized  that  possibility  by  completing  that  development.  Interest- 
ing as  these  speculations  are,  we  do  not  need  to  assume  their 
truth  in  trying  to  justify  Paul.  Paul  meant  by  death  not  physical 
dissolution  merely,  but  death  in  its  totality  as  it  is  for  the  human 
consciousness.  Can  it  be  denied  that  the  terror  and  darkness  of 
death  for  the  mind  and  heart  of  man  is  due  in  large  measure  to 
his  sense  of  guilt,  and  the  effects  of  sin  in  his  reason,  conscience, 
spirit?  Christ  abolishes  death,  not  by  preventing  physical  dis- 
solution but  by  giving  the  fact  a  new  meaning  by  allowing  man 
to  see  it  from  the  standpoint,  not  of  human  guilt,  but  of  Divine 
grace.  In  a  sinless  race  death  as  an  experience  would  have  been 
very  different  from  what  it  is.  Doubtless  had  Paul  been  asked 
whether  physical  dissolution  was  due  to  sin  or  not,  he  would 
have  given  an  affirmative  answer.  While  we  may  not  be  able 
now  to  do  the  same,  yet  we  can  recognize  a  connexion  between 
death,  as  in  its  totality  it  is  for  the  human  consciousness,  and 
human  sin  and  guilt,  and  this  is  the  important  consideration. 
But  the  main  purpose  of  Paul's  argument  is  not  to  account  for 
the  origin  of  sin  or  death,  nor  to  prove  man's  need  of  redemption 
through  Christ.  Man  is  sinful  and  mortal,  that  is  a  fact  that 
needs  only  to  be  stated  :  proof  is  superfluous.  On  that  fact,  not 
on  anj'  theory  about  it,  rests  man's  need  of  redemption.  Paul's 
argument  in  this  passage  is  briefly  this.  He  assumes  as  facts  the 
solidarity  of  the  human  race  as  the  condition  of  the  diffusion  and 
transmission  of  sin,  and  consequently  death  as  its  penalt}'.  He 
draws  the  conclusion  that  heredity  and  environment  will  prove  still 
more  adequate  and  effective  means  for  communicating  the  grace 
and  the  resulting  life  manifest  in  Christ.  Surely  belief  in  progress 
involves  this  conception,  that  these  factors  of  man's  unity  as  a  race 


TO  THE  ROMANS  6.  i  159 

What  shall  we  say  then  ?     Shall  we  continue  in  sin,  6 

work  in  the  long  run  and  to  the  widest  extent  for  good  rather  than 
evil,  for  a  grace  still  more  abounding  than  sin,  which  abounds. 

IZ.  The  Doctrine  of  Sanctlfication.  vi— viii. 
Although  Paul  passes  from  the  first  to  the  second  division  of 
his  doctnnal  exposition  by  offering  his  doctrine  of  sanctification 
as  an  answer  to  an  objection  that  might  be  brought  against  his 
doctrine  of  justification,  yet  we  would  do  injustice  to  Paul's 
own  experience  as  well  as  his  theology  if  we  were  to  regard 
his  treatment  of  the  question  of  forgiveness  as  primary  and 
essential  in  this  treatise,  and  his  dealing  with  the  question  of 
holiness  as  secondary  and  defensive  merely.  Surely  the  two 
autobiographical  passages  (vi.  i-ii  and  vii.  7-25)  shew  that  Paul 
felt  as  keenly  the  need  of  deliverance  from  the  bondage  of  sin 
as  of  escape  from  the  shadows  of  guilt,  and  that  he  prized 
Christ's  spirit  as  the  power  of  holiness  as  highly  as  Christ's 
sacrifice  as  the  reason  for  his  forgiveness.  In  Paul's  Gospel  we 
must  accord  as  prominent  and  important  a  place  to  his  doctrine  of 
sanctification  as  to  his  doctrine  of  justification,  although  his  method 
of  introducing  it  might  suggest  inferiority  and  dependence,  (i) 
Against  the  objection  that  the  doctrine  of  justification  encourages 
moral  laxity  and  indulgence,  Paul  shews  that,  as  the  sj^mbol  of 
baptism  declai-es,  faith  is  so  vital  a  union  with  the  living  Christ 
that  the  typical  experience  of  Christ  in  his  crucifixion  and 
resurrection  is  reproduced  in  the  believer  as  death  unto  sin  and 
life  unto  God  (vi.  1-14).  (2)  To  meet  the  same  objection  presented 
in  a  slightly  different  form  he  shews  under  the  figure  of  service 
the  impossibility  of  continuing  in  bondage  to  sin  while  rendering 
obedience  unto  God  (vi.  15-23).  (3)  That  release  from  the 
bondage  of  sin  involves  also  emancipation  from  the  authority  of 
the  law  is  proved  by  an  illustration  drawn  from  the  limitation 
of  the  obligations  of  marriage  to  this  life  (vii.  1-6).  (4  But  this 
apparent  disparagement  of  the  law  demands  justification  from  the 
Jewish  standpoint ;  and  this  is  offered  in  an  account  of  his  own 
moral  conflict  before  his  conversion,  in  which  was  shewn  not 
only  the  impotence  of  the  law  to  prevent  sin,  but  even  the 
provocation  of  sin  by  the  law  (vii.  7-25).  (5)  Having  thus  met 
these  objections,  and  having  developed  in  this  defence  his  own 
positive  doctrine  of  sanctification,  he  closes  this  division  of  his 
Epistle  by  a  sketch  of  the  triumphant  course  of  the  Christian  life, 
amid  temptation,  persecution,  affliction,  by  the  presence  and 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (viii). 

(i)  vi.  1-14.     Faith  as  union  with  Christ. 

(a)  It  is  quite  impossible,  as  some  object,  for  the  believer  to 
go  on  sinning  that  he  may  be  able  to  claim  ever  more  grace, 


i6o  TO  THE  ROMANS  6.  2 

2  that  grace  may  abound  ?     God  forbid.     We  who  died  to 

because  his  baptism  at  the  beginning  of  his  Christian  life  so 
dedicated  him  to  Christ  as  the  saviour  by  his  sacrifice  that  he 
becomes  vitally  united  to  Christ,  and  as  a  consequence  there 
are  spiritually  reproduced  in  him  those  changes  through  which 
Christ  himself  passed  in  the  events  of  which  baptism  is  sym- 
bolical, death,  burial,  and  resurrection  (1-4).  (6^  For  as  Christ 
by  his  death  on  the  cross  wholly  separated  himself  from  all 
connexion  with  sin,  and  in  his  resurrection  wholly  dedicated 
himself  to  the  service  of  God,  so  the  believer  condemns  and 
executes  all  his  sinful  inclinations,  and  having  been  thus  set  free 
makes  a  fresh  start  in  a  life  consecrated  to  God  (5-1 1).  (c)  If  for 
every  believer  this  has  not  yet  proved  the  reality,  yet  it  is  the 
ideal  he  must  set  before  himself,  separation  from  sm  and  dedica- 
tion to  God  by  resistance  of  every  sinful  desire,  and  by  exercise 
of  all  his  powers  in  the  service  of  God.  He  is  encouraged  to 
do  this  by  his  emancipation  from  the  dominion  of  law,  and  his 
entrance  into  a  state  of  favour  before  God  (12-T4). 

1.  Paul  had  already  indignantly  repudiated  an  accusation 
brought  against  himself,  that  he  taught  the  precept,  *  Let  us  do 
evil  that  good  may  come '  (lii.  8).  Then  having  stated  fully  his 
doctrine  of  justification,  he  faces  a  similar  objection  that  not  only 
might  be  brought  against  it,  but  that  probably  had  been  brought. 
We  must  expand  the  sentence,  'Shall  we  continue  in  sin  that 
grace  may  abound,'  to  recognize  the  full  force  of  the  objection. 
Paul  taught  that  God  shewed  His  grace  by  granting  righteousness, 
a  state  of  acceptance  before  Him  with  all  its  blissful  effects,  not 
to  those  who  had  deserved  this  gift  by  the  merit  of  their  good 
works,  but  to  those  who,  recognizing  their  incapacity  to  deserve 
any  favours  from  God,  cast  themselves  wholly  on  His  mercy,  and 
welcomed  pardon  as  a  free  gift.  A  conclusion  might  be  drawn 
from  this  doctrine  to  this  effect :  the  more  sin  to  forgive  the 
greater  grace  in  forgiving,  the  longer  continued  the  sin  the  more 
enduring  the  grace  ;  God's  grace  is  magnified  by  the  multiplication 
of  sin.  The  practical  application  of  such  an  inference  must  be, 
keep  on  sinning  more  and  more  that  God's  grace  to  you  may 
more  abound.  Paul,  be  it  noted,  does  not  prove  this  conclusion 
with  its  application  as  logicallj'  invalid  ;  but  what  he  does  is  this. 
He  virtually  admits  that  his  doctrine  of  justification  is  an  abstract 
statement  about  the  Christain's  experience  ;  it  isolates  an  aspect 
of  that  experience  to  describe  it  more  completely  and  define  it 
more  accurately  ;  the  objection  drawn  from  that  abstract  statement 
can  be  met  only  by  getting  back  to  the  concrete  experience  itself, 
other  factors  of  which  so  enforce  the  obligation  of,  and  so  afford 
the  motive  to,  a  holy  life,  that  the  objection  is  put  quite  out  of 
court.     But  it  must  be  frankly  admitted  that  Paul's  method  of 


TO  THE  ROMANS   6.  3  161 

sin,  how  shall  we  any  longer  live  therein  ?      Or  are  ye  3 
ignorant  that  all  we  who  were  baptized  into  Christ  Jesus 

setting  these  two  doctrines  side  by  side  as  complementary  aspects 
of  Christian  truth  presents  a  very  serious  difficulty,  not  only 
theoretical,  but  even  practical.  What  is  the  essential  connexion 
between  the  acceptance  of  forgiveness  and  the  pursuit  of  holiness  ? 
How  does  the  one  necessarily  lead  on  to  the  other.  There  are 
men  for  whom  Paul's  doctrine  of  justification  expresses  not  one 
isolated  aspect  of  Christian  experience,  but  what  is  for  them 
practically  the  whole,  for  they  want  forgiveness  without  willing 
holiness  ;  and  there  are  on  the  other  hand  men  who,  repelled  by 
this  error,  strive  after  holiness  without  welcoming  forgiveness, 
who  admit  sanctification  as  an  imperative  obligation,  but  do  not 
enjoy  justification  as  an  assured  possession.  This  problem  cannot 
be  solved  here  ;  but  it  is  necessary,  in  interpreting  Paul's  Epistle, 
to  indicate  the  difficulty  which  he  leaves  unremoved. 

2.  died  to  sin:  in  their  baptism,  as  a  confession  of  allegiance 
to  Christ,  and  consequently  as  a  renunciation  of  all  attachment 
to  sin. 

3.  are  ye  ignorant.  Paul  assumes  that  his  readers  know  the 
solemn  and  sacred  significance  of  the  Christian  ordinance  ;  and 
only  ignorance  of  its  meaning  could  afford  any  excuse  for  the 
objection  which  is  being  dealt  with.  It  is  very  improbable, 
however,  that  many  of  his  readers  saw  in  baptism  all  that  his 
profound  and  original  mind,  interpreting  his  unique  and  intense 
experience,  discovered  in  it.  They  were  not.  as  he  was,  safe  from 
the  danger  of  error  regarding  the  Christian  life. 

were  baptized  into  Christ  Jesiis.  Cf,  i  Cor.  x.  2,  '  baptized 
into  Moses.*  This  means  that  they  did  not  simply  confess  Christ 
as  Saviour  and  submit  to  him  as  Lord,  but  were  so  united  to  him 
that  his  life  and  theirs  became  one  spiritual  unity  (Gal.  ii.  20,  iii. 
27).  This  is  the  first  statement  in  this  Epistle  of  one  of  Paul's 
most  characteristic  contributions  to  Christian  thought,  his  doctrine 
of  the  mystical  union  of  the  believer  with  Christ.  This  doctrine 
is  the  interpretation  of  his  own  experience.  His  faith  in  Christ 
as  Saviour  and  Lord  meant  not  only  the  acceptance  of  the  gifts 
of  God's  grace  in  him,  but  such  responsive  love  and  loyalty  to 
Christ  himself  as  did  not  fall  short  of  a  practical  identification  of  his 
will  with  the  purpose  of  Christ ;  such  intense  vivid  consciousness 
of  the  presence  of  the  risen  Christ  with  him  as  enabled  him  to 
hold  confident  and  constant  communion  with  Christ ;  such  un- 
hindered receptivity  for  the  communication  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
as  put  all  his  faculties,  mind,  heart,  and  will,  at  the  command  of 
Christ.  Although  baptism  meant  more  for  the  early  Christians 
than  it  means  for  most  modern  believers,  yet  even  in  the  Apostolic 

M 


i62  TO  THE  ROMANS  6.  4 

4    were  baptized  into  his  death  ?     We  were  buried  therefore 


Age  it  is  not  likely  that  there  were  many  who  could  claim  the 
same  experience  with  the  same  completeness  and  constancy  as 
Paul.  To  many  in  the  present  day  this  doctrine  seems  too  high, 
they  cannot  attain  unto  it ;  but  nevertheless  it  has  some  analogy 
to  ordinary  human  experience,  for  the  stronger  the  affections  of 
two  persons  for  one  another,  the  greater  harmony  is  there  in  their 
motives,  purposes,  and  actions.  In  the  measure  in  which  any 
Christian  realizes  that  Christ  lives,  responds  to  Christ's  love,  and 
receives  Christ's  Spirit,  will  he  possess  this  mystical  union  with 
Christ.  As  Paul  in  this  passage  is  not  justifying  a  theory,  but 
stating  an  experience  which  was  his  own,  which  he  believed  was 
not  only  possible  but  necessary  for  every  Christian,  that  there  are 
Christian  men  to  whom  this  doctrine  seems  unreal  does  not  prove 
Paul's  teaching  false,  only  that  there  are  possibilities  unreahzed 
in  them.  The  least  emotional  and  most  matter-of-fact  believer, 
if  he  is  a  believer,  can  surely  go  as  far  as  this.  He  must  feel  that 
sin  deserves  condemnation,  when  Christ  so  sorrowed  and  suffered 
on  account  of  it.  He  must  feel  that  Christ  deserves  gratitude  for 
his  sacrifice.  He  must  feel  that  Christ  is  not  deceiving  him  when 
Christ  assures  him  of  God's  pardon,  for  the  Son  has  shewn  that 
he  knows  the  Father.  He  must  feel  that  he  cannot  but  shew  his 
gratitude  to  Christ  in  the  way  best  pleasing  to  him,  even  the  way 
of  obedience  to  his  teaching  and  example.  If  any  believer  humbly 
and  sincerely  makes  such  a  beginning  of  dying  unto  sin  and  living 
unto  God,  his  own  experience  will  afterwards  give  more  and  more 
reality  to  Paul's  teaching  on  union  with  Christ.  If  Christ  by 
his  sacrifice  bringing  us  to  repentance  and  constraining  us  to 
righteousness  makes  us  what  punishment  could  never  make  us, 
what  a  pardon  that  left  it  possible  for  us  to  think  of  God  as 
indifferent  or  indulgent  to  sin  would  never  make  us — even  opposed 
to  sin  and  obedient  unto  God —surely  the  moral  effects  of  his  cross 
prove  its  moral  value.  Now  Paul  did  find  that  Christ's  death, 
regarded  as  a  propitiation,  convinced  him  of  God's  righteousness 
in  forgiving  sinners,  that  God's  justification  in  Christ  made  him 
more  hostile  to  sin  and  more  devoted  to  God  than  he  could  other- 
wise have  become,  that  the  union  with  Christ  which  was  involved 
in  and  developed  from  the  faith  through  which  he  received  God's 
grace  enabled  him  practically  to  realize  his  moral  ideal,  as  recogni- 
tion of  or  submission  to  the  authority  of  a  moral  law  could  not. 
It  may  be  confidently  assumed  that  in  lesser  or  greater  degree 
this  experience  can  be  reproduced  in  believers,  and  thus  holiness 
be  the  necessary  consequent  of  forgiveness. 

3.  into  his  death.     This  is  the  part  of  Christ's  work  on  which 
faith  lays  hoKl  in  its  initial  act.     Christ's  death  as  a  propitiation 


TO  THE  ROMANS  6.  4  163 

with  him  through  baptism  into  death  :  that  like  as  Christ 


makes  possible  the  justification  with  which  the  Christian  life 
begins.  The  believer's  union  with  Christ,  of  which  baptism  is  the 
symbol,  begins  with  the  appropriation  by  faith  of  the  righteousness 
secured  by  the  death  of  Christ.  In  virtue  of  his  sacrifice  on  behalf 
of  the  believer  Christ  claims  more  absolute  surrender,  more  devoted 
service  than  could  be  required  or  expected  on  any  other  ground. 

4.  buried.  Baptism  has  three  parts — descent  into,  burial 
under,  and  ascent  out  of,  the  water.  (Paul's  statement  assumes 
that  baptism  is  by  immersion  ;  probably  this  was  the  form  in 
which  the  ordinance  was  usually  administered,  although  even  in 
the  first  century  other  forms  were  permitted.)  To  these  three 
parts  of  baptism  correspond  three  events  in  Christ's  experience — 
Crucifixion,  Burial,  Resurrection ;  and  to  these  three  events  there 
should  correspond  three  features  of  the  Christian  life  ;  but  Paul 
does  not  work  out  the  symbolism  fully,  for  he  practically 
identifies  death  and  burial,  and  so  death  to  sin  corresponds  to 
Christ's  crucifixion,  and  life  unto  God  to  his  resurrection. 

into  death.  The  phrase  may  be  joined  either  to  baptism 
or  to  buried.  In  the  former  case  the  meaning  is  this  :  as  by 
our  baptism  we  appropriated  the  benefits  of  his  death,  so  we 
accepted  for  ourselves  whatever  that  death  meant  for  Christ, 
that  is,  *  our  old  man  was  crucified  with  him '  (verse  6).  In  the 
latter  case  *  buried  into  death '  means  that  Christ's  death  becomes, 
as  it  were,  the  grave  into  which  the  old  self  is  laid.  As  death 
is  completed  in  burial,  so  our  death  to  sin  was  fully,  finally 
accomplished  in  this  our  appropriation  of  his  death  as  the  ground 
of  our  justification.  Against  the  connexion  with  '  buried '  it  has 
been  urged,  (i)  that  in  verse  3  Paul  has  spoken  of  baptism  into 
Christ's  death,  and  it  is  probable  he  would  repeat  rather  than 
vary  the  phrase  here ;  (2)  that  as  death  comes  before  burial, 
'  burial  into  death '  is  an  incongruous  phrase ;  and  (3)  that  '  into 
death  '  is  too  distant  from  '  buried  '  to  be  connected  with  it.  But 
these  objections  can  be  met :  (i)  There  is  progress  in  Paul's 
thought ;  what  he  defines  as  '  baptism  into  death '  in  verse  3  he 
describes  as  'burial  into  death'  in  verse  4,  putting  the  thing 
symbolized  for  the  symbol;  (2)  as  the  phrase  'into  the  death' 
need  not  mean  into  death  in  the  abstract,  but  may  mean  into  his 
death,  that  is  Christ's  death,  the  incongniit}'  disappears,  and  the 
believer's  baptism  is  represented  as  the  burial,  which  is  the  sign 
of  his  complete  identification  with  the  death  of  Christ ;  (sj  Paul 
does  not  avoid  such  ambiguities  (iii.  25).  The  second  construction 
seems  preferable,  as  it  makes  more  evident  the  progress  in  Paul's 
thought. 

like.    Analogy  between  Christ's  and  the  believer's  experience 

M   2 


i64  TO  THE  ROMANS  6.  5,  6 

was  raised  from  the  dead  through  the  glory  of  the  Father, 

5  so  we  also  might  walk  in  newness  of  life.     For  if  we  have 
become  united  with  him  by  the  likeness  of  his  death,  we 

6  shall  be  also  by  the  likeness  of  his  resurrection ;  knowing 
this,  that  our  old  man  was  crucified  with  hiin^  that  the 

now  takes  the  place  of  the  identity  of  Christ  and  the  behever. 
This  variation  of  expression  warns  us  not  to  interpret  Paul's 
words  with  prosaic  literalness  ;  still  less  are  we  warranted  in 
basing  speculations  about  a  metaphysical  relation  of  Christ  to  the 
believer  upon  them. 

the  glory.  As  Christ's  resurrection  was  according  to  the 
will  and  by  the  power  of  God,  it  manifested  God's  perfection; 
and  as  God's  manifested  perfection  is  his  glory,  the  resurrection 
may  be  described  as  by  the  glory  of  God. 

Father.  The  use  of  this  phrase  for  God  is  surely  intended 
to  suggest  that  the  resurrection  clearly''  shewed  God's  paternal 
relation  to  Christ.  It  was  a  declaration  in  deed,  'this  is  my 
beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.' 

walk.  The  term  describes  both  the  continuity  and  the 
voluntariness  of  the  Christian  life  ;  it  is  by  our  own  choice  and 
act  the  Christian  life  is  lived. 

newness  of  life.  As  Christ's  life  after  his  resurrection 
differed  from  his  life  before,  so  the  Christian's  life  in  Christ  must 
assume  a  totally  different  character  from  his  life  in  sin. 

5.  become  united:  or  'have  grown  together,'  or  'become 
grafted'  (xi.  17),  or  'vitally  connected.'  Cf.  the  allegory  of  the 
Vine  and  the  Branches  (John  xv.  1-8). 

united  with  him  by  the  likeness  of  his  death :  or,  '  united 
with  the  likeness  of  his  death.*  While  the  former  rendering  makes 
the  sense  clearer,  the  latter  is  more  literal.  Paul  here  begins  to 
apply  the  events  of  Christ's  life  to  the  believer's  experience  as 
typical. 

6.  knowing"  this.  The  recognition  of  this  vital  union  results 
from  a  reasonable  interpretation  of  the  meaning  and  the  aim  of 
Christ's  death  and  resurrection, 

our  old  man  (Eph  iv.  22;  Col.  iii.  9.)  =  'our  old  self  So 
also  Paul  speaks  of  the  new  man  '  (Eph.  ii.  15,  iv.  24  ;  Col.  iii.  9), 
'  the  inward  man '  (vii.  22 ;  Eph.  iii.  16),  '  the  outward  man ' 
(2  Cor.  iv.  16). 

was  crucified.  Cf.  Gal.  ii.  20,  vi.  14.  The  believer  by  faith 
appropriates  and  applies  to  his  own  old  self  the  condemnation 
and  execution  which  was  vicariously  represented  in  the  cross  of 
Christ,  and  so  by  his  acceptance  of  that  sacrifice  he  once  for  all, 
in  a  decisive  act,  separates  himself  from  sin. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   6.  7-9  165 

body  of  sin  might  be  done  away,  that  so  we  should  no 
longer  be  in  bondage  to  sin ;    for  he  that  hath  died  is  7 
justified  from  sin.     But  if  we  died  with  Christ,  we  believe  8 
that  we  shall  also  live  with  him ;    knowing  that  Christ  9 
being  raised  from  the  dead  dieth  no  more ;    death  no 


the  body  of  sin :  *  the  body  of  which  sin  has  gained  the 
mastery,'  the  body  as  the  seat  and  the  instrument  of  sin.  Similar 
phrases  are,  '  the  body  of  this  death '  (vii.  24)  =  the  body  which  is 
doomed  to  die,  'the  body  of  our  humiliation*  (Phil.  iii.  21)  =  the 
body  in  its  weakness  and  perishableness,  '  the  body  of  the  flesh ' 
(Col.  ii.  11)  =  the  body  which  serves  the  fleshly  impulses.  Paul 
does  not  teach  that  the  body  is  this  and  nothing  more,  but  this 
is  the  aspect  of  our  corporeal  existence  on  which  he  is  now  led  to 
lay  stress. 

luig'lit  be  done  away.  This  is  the  same  word  as  is  rendered 
'  make  of  none  effect '  (iii.  3,  31).  It  does  not  mean  entire  removal, 
but  complete  reduction  to  impotence  and  inaction.  Only  as  the 
seat  and  instrument  of  sin  is  the  body  to  be  thus  '  done  away.' 

in  bondag'e  to  sin.  Sin  is  personified  as  a  hard  taskmaster, 
and  it  is  especially  through  the  fleshly  impulses,  the  seat  and 
instrument  of  which  is  the  body,  that  sin  exercises  its  dominion 
and  man  becomes  a  slave. 

*7.  Death  cancels  all  engagements  and  annuls  all  obligations ; 
the  physically  dead  is  beyond  the  reach  of  any  law  to  which  he 
was  subject  while  he  lived  ;  the  morally  dead  likewise  is  no 
longer  under  the  control  of  any  authority  exercised  over  him 
in  his  previous  state  :  as  '  dead  to  sin '  the  Christian  has  passed 
out  of  sin's  dominion.  (Cf.  i  Pet.  iv.  i.)  A  Rabbinic  parallel  is 
quoted  :  *  When  a  man  is  dead  he  is  free  from  the  law  and  the 
commandments.' 

is  justified.  This  phrase  is  used  not  in  the  Pauline,  but  in 
a  more  general  sense.  Sin  loses  its  suit  against  the  dead  because 
he  is  no  longer  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court  to  which  sin 
can  make  appeal. 

8.  we  shall . . .  live.  Here  Paul  seems  to  leave  the  ethical  sense 
of  the  term  '  life '  and  to  use  it  in  the  eschatological  sense,  '  The 
life  of  glory  and  blessedness  following  the  Resurrection.'  These 
are  not,  however,  separate,  but  only  different  aspects  of  the  one 
life,  for  the  Christian's  hope  rests  on  his  experience  of  moral 
change  through  faith  in  Christ. 

9.  Because  Christ  lives  the  believer  lives  also.  Death  can 
make  its  claim  onl^'  once,  and  the  claim  fully  discharged  it  cannot 
again  assert  any  right. 


i66  TO  THE  ROMANS  6.  lo,  n 

10  more  hath  dominion  over  him.     For  the  death  that  he 
died,  he  died  unto  sin  once :  but  the  life  that  he  Hveth, 

11  he  Hveth  unto  God.     Even  so  reckon  ye  also  yourselves 
to  be  dead  unto  sin,  but  ahve  unto  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 


dominion.  Christ  as  sinless  and  perfect  was  not  subject  to 
death's  reign,  but  he  voluntarily  subjected  himself  to  that 
dominion  as  a  vicarious  sacrifice  on  man's  behalf.  His  sacrifice 
accomplished,  death's  power  over  him  ceased  once  for  all. 

10.  Per  the  death  that  he  died :  or,  *  for  in  that  he  died.'  The 
former  rendering  brings  out  more  clearly  the  sense  of  the 
original. 

he  died  unto  sin.  How  did  Christ  die  unto  sin  ?  Paul  him- 
self supplies  the  explanation,  '  Him  who  knew  no  sin  he  made  to 
be  sin  on  our  behalf  (2  Cor.  v.  21).  We  should  take  this  in  the 
widest  sense  possible,  not  restrict  it  simply  to  Christ's  substitu- 
tionary endurance  of  the  penalty  of  sin  on  the  cross.  In  all 
except  personal  transgression  Christ  was  subject  to  the  conditions 
of  man's  sinful  state— temptation  fHeb.  ii.  18,  iv.  15),  trial  (Heb. 
xii.  3),  discipline  (Matt.  xxvi.  41  \  development  (Luke  xviii.  19). 
His  death  was  a  release  not  only  from  the  consequences  of  sin, 
but  from  the  liability  to  sin.  His  death  as  an  act  of  filial  obedience 
put  an  end  to  his  moral  discipline  and  development  by  temptation 
and  trial,  and  was  his  final  voluntary  separation  of  himself  from 
all  contact  with  sin. 

once :  *  once  for  all.'  The  sacrifice  did  not  need  to  be  re- 
peated ;  this  is  one  of  the  characteristic  conceptions  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  (vii.  27,  ix.  12,  26,  28,  x.  10.  See  also  i  Pet, 
iii.  18). 

the  life  that  he  Uveth:  or,  'in  that  he  liveth.'  The  former 
rendering  preferable. 

liveth  unto  God :  a  life  of  unobscured  vision  of,  undisturbed 
communion  with,  absolute  consecration  to,  God. 

11.  The  self  is  a  double  self:  the  old  self  is  dead,  'the  old  man 
was  crucified  with  Christ';  the  new  self  is  alive,  but  while  it 
is  living  unto  God  it  is  dead  unto  sin.  The  consciousness  is  set 
over  against  this  double  self,  and  can  pronounce  the  one  self  dead 
and  the  other  self  alive.  This  thorough  change  is  not  yet 
altogether  completed  ;  it  is  still  an  ideal  to  be  realized.  The 
believer  must  consciously  present  this  ideal  to  himself,  as  the 
acceptance  of  an  ideal  is  the  first  step  towards  its  realization. 

in  Christ  Jesus.  The  Christian  life  is  one  of  which  Christ 
is  the  sphere  and  atmosphere.  He  sets  its  limits,  ordains  its 
laws,  provides  its  nourishment,  and  controls  its  exercise.  This 
assumes  his  universal  presence  and  absolute  authority  ;Matt.  xxviii. 


TO  THE  ROMANS  G.   12-15  167 

Let  not  sin  therefore  reign  in  your  mortal  body,  that  12 
ye  should  obey  the  lusts  thereof:   neither  present  your  13 
members  unto  sin  as  instruments  of  unrighteousness ; 
but  present  yourselves  unto  God,  as  alive  from  the  dead, 
and  your  members  as  instruments  of  righteousness  unto 
God.     For  sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you  :  for  ye  14 
are  not  under  law,  but  under  grace. 

What  then?  shall  we  sin,  because  we  are  not  under  15 

18-20).  Accordingly  it  is  not  the  historical  Jesus,  subject  to  local 
limitations  and  creaturely  conditions,  but  the  glorified  Christ, 
who  is  thus  represented.  Therefore  also  the  form  is  always 
'Christ  Jesus,'  never  'Jesus  Christ.'  As  this  universal  presence 
of  Christ  is  not  spatially  extensive  so  that  each  believer  has  part 
of  him,  but  spii'itually  intensive  so  that  the  whole  Christ  is  with 
each  believer,  the  counterpart  of  the  phrase,  'Christ  in  us,'  can 
with  equal  propriety  be  used. 

13.  present:  the  Greek  tenses  are  in  the  two  instances  differ- 
ent: the  first  is  the  continuous  present,  'go  on  presenting';  the 
second  is  the  momentary  past  tense,  'present  by  an  act  of 
choice.' 

instruments :  or,  'weapons' ;  the  latter  is  better.  (Cf.  xiii.  12, 
2  Cor.  vi.  7,  X.  4,  and  especially  Eph.  vi.  ir-17,  where  the  figure 
is  more  fully  worked  out. ) 

14.  under  law  .  .  .  under  grace.  As  law  cannot  restrain  but 
provokes  sin,  its  result  is  that  instead  of  putting  an  end  to,  it 
confirms  and  extends  the  dominion  of,  sin.  Hence  under  law 
it  is  a  hopeless  attempt  to  get  rid  of  sin's  rule.  Grace  has  a  con- 
straining power,  renders  obedience  easy,  so  commands  and  controls 
the  will  as  to  make  it  victorious  over  temptation.  Hence  the 
struggle  against  sin  ceases  under  grace  to  be  a  forlorn  hope  and 
becomes  a  certain  triumph. 

('2)  vi.  15-23.      The  service  of  sin  and  of  righteousness. 

Paul  realizing  probably  that  the  previous  illustration  drawn  from 
his  own  experienceof  vital  union  with  Christ  would  not  be  altogether 
intelligible  to  all  his  readers,  presents  the  same  truth  in  an  illustra- 
tion, for  the  inappropriateness  and  inadequacy  of  which  he  feels 
constrained  to  apologize  (verse  19),  but  which  nevertheless  was 
nearer  the  common  range  of  Christian  thought.  He  compares  the 
life  under  sin  or  under  righteousness  as  a  servitude  exclusive  of 
any  other  claim.  His  argument  runs  as  follows  :  (a)  The  Christian 
cannot  take  advantage  of  his  liberty,  as  being  not  under  law^,  but 
under  grace,  to  commit  sin  ;   for  this  service  of  sin  necessarily 


i68  TO  THE  ROMANS  6.  i6,  17 

16  law,  but  under  grace?  God  forbid.  Know  ye  not,  that 
to  whom  ye  present  yourselves  as  servants  unto  obedience, 
his  servants  ye  are  whom  ye  obey ;  whether  of  sin  unto 

17  death,  or  of  obedience  unto  righteousness?  But  thanks 
be  to  God,  that,  whereas  ye  were  servants  of  sin,  ye 


involves  enslavement  by  sin,  and  the  Christian  has  the  grateful 
consciousness  of  release  from  that  bondage  in  order  that  he  might 
render  service  unto  God  (15-18).  {b)  Although  the  term  servitude 
does  not  worthily  and  fitly  describe  the  Christian's  relation  to 
God,  yet  the  weakness  and  wilfulness  which  still  survive  even 
in  the  believer  after  his  conversion  give  the  life  in  and  for  God 
this  appearance  (19).  (c)  Even  so  regarded  the  service  of  God 
is  to  be  preferred  to  the  service  of  sin,  for  while  the  duly  deserved 
wages  of  sin  is  death,  the  free  gift  of  God,  which  the  service 
does  not  merit  and  therefore  cannot  demand,  is  eternal  life 
(20-33). 

15.  This  is  the  same  objection  against  Paul's  doctrine  of 
justification,  although  stated  in  a  slightly  different  form.  In  the 
previous  case  the  conclusion  drawn  was  that  grace  would  be 
made  to  abound  by  continuance  in  sin.  In  this  case  the  con- 
clusion drawn  is  not  quite  so  extreme.  Continuance  in  sin  as 
a  permanent  habit  is  not  advocated  ;  but  it  is  suggested  that 
as  the  restraints,  threats,  and  penalties  of  the  law  are  once  for 
all  removed,  occasional  indulgence  in  sin  will  be  safe  now  as  it 
has  not  been  hitherto.  Paul's  answer  is  that  any  indulgence  in 
sin  involves  a  relapse  into  that  state  of  bondage  to  sin  from  which 
faith  in  God's  grace  has  released  the  believer.  Paul  shews  (i-ii) 
that  the  permanent  habit  of  sin  is  inconsistent  with  confession  of 
Christ,  and  now,  as  the  next  step  in  his  argument,  that  occasional 
indulgence  in  sin  involves  a  return  to  that  permanent  habit. 

16.  Paul's  illustration  is  taken  from  the  institution  of  slavery,  in 
which  the  owner  claimed  complete  control  and  absolute  authority 
over  his  slave.  Free  labour,  where  a  definite  service  within 
specified  hours  is  contracted  for,  and  where  several  engagements 
may  be  combined,  would  not  afford  an  illustration  of  the  principle 
he  asserts.  But  the  moral  fact  thus  illustrated  is  correctly  stated. 
Acts  form  habits,  habits  fix  character ;  occasional  indulgence  in 
sin  results  in  permanent  subjection  to  sin  ;  right  conduct  forms 
a  right  disposition.  For  man  there  is  possible  only  a  choice  of 
masters  (Matt.  vi.  24). 

righteousness.  Although  some  commentators  would  still 
maintain  here  the  distinctively  Pauline  sense  of  the  word  'justifi- 
cation,' yet,  as  this  yields  a  forced  interpretation,  it  is  better  to 


TO  THE  ROMANS  6.  18,  19  169 

became  obedient  from  the  heart  to  that  form  of  teaching 
whereunto  ye  were  delivered;  and  being  made  free  from  18 
sin,  ye  became  servants  of  righteousness.  I  speak  after  19 
the  manner  of  men  because  of  the  infirmity  of  your  flesh  : 
for  as  ye  presented  your  members  as  servants  to  unclean- 
ness  and  to  iniquity  unto  iniquity,  even  so  now  present 
your  members  as  servants  to  righteousness  unto  sancti- 

assume  that  the  word  here  has  its  general  meaning — right  conduct 
or  character. 

17.  from  tlie  heart.  The  phrase  points  to  the  spirituality  and 
sincerity  of  the  Christian  life. 

form  of  teachingf  wlieretmto  ye  were  delivered.  The 
metaphor  here  is  of  transference  to  a  new  master.  While  w^e 
should  say  that  the  form  of  doctrine  was  delivered  to  the  persons, 
rather  than  that  the  persons  w^ere  delivered  to  the  form  of  doctrine, 
the  conception  here  is  easily  understood.  The  converts  were  care- 
fully taught  their  Christain  duty ;  after  their  baptism  they  were 
left  under  the  guidance  and  to  the  control  of  the  instruction  they 
had  received. 

form.:  or,  '  pattern '=  standard,  not  of  doctrine,  but  of  faith 
and  duty.  There  is  no  thought  of  different  types  of  apostolic 
doctrine. 

19.  I  speak  after  tlie  manner  of  men.  Cf.  Gal.  iii.  15.  The 
phrase  introduces  an  inadequate  illustration  of  Divine  truth,  which, 
however,  may  make  it  intelligible  to  human  thought. 

tlie  infirmity  of  yonr  fiesh.  The  reference  maj''  be  either 
(i)  to  failure  in  spiritual  discernment,  so  that  they  could  not 
understand  the  Christian  experience  as  a  death  and  a  life  with 
Christ,  and  needed  to  have  it  represented  as  a  service  of  righteous- 
ness instead  of  a  service  of  sin  ;  or  (2^  to  lack  of  spiritual  power, 
so  that  holiness,  instead  of  being  to  them  a  spontaneous  expression 
of  the  life  of  Christ  in  them,  must  needs  assume  the  lower  form 
of  service  to  God  as  master.  As  Paul  is  giving  a  reason  for 
the  illustration  which  he  has  adopted,  the  former  explanation  is 
preferable  ;  although  lack  of  power  and  failure  in  discernment 
are  different  aspects  of  the  same  immaturity  or  imperfection. 
'  Flesh '  is  here  used  to  express  human  nature  in  its  weakness, 
intellectual  and  moral.       See  vii.  7-25.) 

uncleanness  and  '  lawlessness '  were  characteristic  of  pagan 
rather  than  Jewish  immorality'. 

iniqtiity  unto  iniquity :  better,  *  lawlessness.'  The  lawless 
principle  results  in  the  lawless  act ;  indulgence  in  sin  is  punished 
with  abandonment  to  sin. 

Banctificatiou,  the  process  of  being  made  holy,  and  'sanctity,' 


170  TO  THE  ROMANS  6.  20— 7.  i 

ao  fication.     For  when  ye  were  servants  of  sin,  ye  were  free 

21  in  regard  of  righteousness.  What  fruit  then  had  ye  at 
that  time  in  the  things  whereof  ye  are  now  ashamed  ?  for 

22  the  end  of  those  things  is  death.  But  now  being  made 
free  from  sin,  and  become  servants  to  God,  ye  have  your 

23  fruit  unto  sanctification,  and  the  end  eternal  hfe.  For 
the  wages  of  sin  is  death ;  but  the  free  gift  of  God  is 
eternal  life  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

7      Or  are  ye  ignorant,  brethren  (for  I  speak  to  men  that 

the  state  of  holiness,  are  represented  in  Greek  by  words  very 
similar  in  form,  and  in  some  cases  interchangeable  in  meaning. 
Hence  some  commentators  would  render  here  'unto  sanctity' 
or  'holiness.'  But  unless  there  is  some  absolute  necessity  for 
assuming  such  a  change  of  meaning,  it  is  better  to  maintain  the 
separate  senses  of  the  terms ;  and  here  righteous  deeds  may  fitly 
be  described  as  having  for  result  the  process  of  sanctification,  by 
holy  deeds  men  become  holy  persons.     iSee  i.  7.) 

21.  (i)  The  R.  V,  carries  on  the  question  to  the  word  '  ashamed,' 
and  the  answer  we  must  supply  is  '  None.'  (2)  Some  commen- 
tators end  the  question  with  the  word  '  time,'  and  regard  the 
phrase  tlie  things  whereof  ye  are  now  ashamed  as  the  answer. 
The  first  construction  seems  more  simple  and  natural,  but  the 
second  is  at  least  possible,  and  not  less  appropriate  to  the  context. 

23.  wages:  a  soldiers  pay.  The  word  meant  originally 
'ration  money,'  and  was  derived  from  a  shorter  word  meaning 
*  cooked  food.' 

free  gift :  v.  15.     Eternal  life  is  not  merited  or  deserved  as 
a  reward,  although  it  has  to  be  prepared  for  by  sanctification. 

(3)  vii.  1-6.     Release  from  authority  of  law. 

Paul  had  shewn  that  faith  apart  from  the  works  of  the  law 
justifies  ;  he  had  assumed  that  the  believer  in  his  Christian  life 
is  not  under  law  but  under  grace  ;  he  has  now  to  shew  how 
deliverance  from  sin  is  also  emancipation  from  law,  and  he  does 
this  by  means  of  an  illustration  drawn  from  the  marriage  relation. 
(a)  The  familiar  legal  principle  that  law  is  binding  as  long  as  life 
lasts  is  illustrated  by  the  caseof  a  woman,  who  during  her  husband's 
lifetime  is  not  free,  without  social  condemnation,  to  form  any  other 
connexion,  but  on  her  husband's  death  may  marry  again  with- 
out blame  (1-3).  (6)  In  the  same  way  the  Christian's  self  was 
joined  to  the  sinful  nature,  and  the  results  of  the  union  were  actions 
finally  producing  death  ;  but  now  the  sinful  nature  has  been  done 
away  with  by  his  union  with  Christ  in  his  death  ;  and,  therefore,  the 


TO  THE  ROMANS   7.  2,  3  171 

know  the  law),  how  that  the  law  hath  dominion  over 
a  man  for  so  long  time  as  he  liveth?     For  the  woman  2 
that  hath  a  husband  is  bound  by  law  to  the  husband 
while  he  liveth ;  but  if  the  husband  die,  she  is  discharged 
from  the  law  of  the  husband.     So  then  if,  while  the  3 

Christian's  self,  on  the  one  hand,  is  no  longer  under  the  authority 
of  the  law,  and,  on  the  other,  is  free  to  form  such  a  union  with 
Christ  himself  as  will  produce  conduct  acceptable  unto  God  (4,  5). 
(c)  There  must  be  a  consequent  change  of  spirit  in  the  service 
thus  rendered,  as  no  longer  bondage,  but  liberty  (6).  This 
illustration  is  not  worked  out  as  clearly  as  might  be  desired. 
According  to  verses  1-3  the  husband  dies,  and  sets  the  wife  free 
for  another  union  ;  the  husband  apparently  representing  the  law, 
and  the  wife,  the  Christian's  self.  But  according  to  verses  4-6, 
where  the  illustration  is  explained,  it  is  the  Christian's  self  (the 
wife)  which  has  died  to  the  law  (the  husband),  and  yet  lives  on 
to  be  married  to  Christ,  The  meaning  is,  however,  plain  enough; 
if  the  law  has  no  further  claim  on  the  Christian  (is  dead  to  him, 
verses  1-3),  he  has  no  further  connexion  with  the  law  :is  dead 
to  it,  verses  4,  5).  We  maj'',  however,  carry  out  the  illustration 
consistently  if  we  consider  the  old  sinful  nature  as  the  husband, 
the  permanent  self  of  the  Christian  as  the  wife,  the  law  of  Moses 
as  the  law  which  binds  the  sinful  nature  to  the  self  (the  imputation 
of  the  sin  to  the  self,  and  the  condemnation  of  the  self  for  the  sin)  ; 
the  self  continues  under  the  jurisdiction  of  this  law  as  long  as  the 
union  continues.  The  death  spoken  of  in  verse  4,  and  again 
in  verse  6,  is  the  crucifixion  of  the  old  man,  and  as  this,  in 
one  aspect,  is  the  self  of  the  Christian,  its  death  is  his  death 
also,  although  the  essential  permanent  self  survives  for  a  new 
life  and  a  new  marriage.  The  illustration  is  further  complicated 
by  a  fresh  train  of  thought.  Marriage  suggests  offspring,  and 
so  the  illustration  is  made  to  apply  not  only  to  the  Christian's 
conduct  when  joined  to  the  law,  but  also  to  his  conduct  as  a 
result  of  the  dissolution  of  the  old  union  and  the  formation  of  the 
new  union  with  Christ. 

1.  are  ye  ignorant?  Paul  is  going  to  state  a  conclusion  which 
his  readers  might  have  drawn  for  themselves  as  a  necessary  in- 
ference from  what  he  had  stated  about  the  Christian  s  death  with 
Christ,  as  death  ends  all  claims  of  law, 

the  law:  better,  'law,'  as  Paul  is  not  referring  either  to  the 
Jewish  or  to  the  Roman  law,  but  to  law  generally,  in  which  this 
principle  always  finds  recognition, 

2.  tlie  law  of  the  husband:  the  rules  of  law  that  deal  with 
the  relation  of  marriage,  the  duties  a  wife  owes  to  her  husband 


172  TO  THE  ROMANS  7.  4,5 

husband  liveth,  she  be  joined  to  another  man,  she  shall 
be  called  an  adulteress :  but  if  the  husband  die,  she  is 
free  from  the  law,  so  that  she  is  no  adulteress,  though  she 

4  be  joined  to  another  man.  Wherefore,  my  brethren,  ye 
also  were  made  dead  to  the  law  through  the  body  of 
Christ ;  that  ye  should  be  joined  to  another,  even  to  him 
who  was  raised  from  the  dead,  that  we  might  bring  forth 

5  fruit  unto  God.  For  when  we  were  in  the  flesh,  the  sinful 
passions,  which  were  through  the  law,  wrought  in  our 

('the  law  of  the  leper/  Lev.  xiv.  2  ;  'the  law  of  Nazirite,'  Num. 
vi.  13). 

4.  ye  also  were  made  dead.  As  has  already  been  shewn,  it 
is  the  self,  so  far  as  it  is  one  with  the  sinful  state,  that  dies  when 
the  old  man  is  crucified  with  Christ  (vi.  6).  If  we  take  it  for  the 
Christian's  permanent,  essential  self,  then  v/e  have  the  contra- 
diction that  it  is  represented  as  dead,  and  yet  as  living  to  be 
united  to  Christ, 

tlie  body  of  Christ :  the  sacrificial  body  of  Christ.  The  old 
man,  the  sinful  self,  is  done  to  death  by  the  Christian's  spiritual 
participation  in  the  crucifixion  of  Christ  as  a  condemnation  and 
execution  of  sin. 

anotlier.  Not  master,  but  husband ;  for  although  it  is  not  the 
law  which  is  represented  as  the  first  husband,  but  the  sinful  state, 
yet  the  law  is  so  closely  connected  with  the  sinful  state  that  Paul 
here  practically  identifies  the  state  under  law  with  the  sinful  state, 
and  death  to  sin  is  represented  as  death  to  law. 

bring'  forth  fruit.  Either  there  is  a  violent  change  of 
metaphor,  or  the  words  must  mean  *  bear  offspring,'  the  illustra- 
tion of  marriage  being  carried  farther  than  the  argument  required. 

5.  in  the  flesh  is  contrasted  with  '  in  the  spirit.'  It  describes 
a  life,  the  highest  object  of  which  is  the  indulgence  of  the  senses 
and  appetites. 

sinfal  passions:  Gr.  'passions  of  sins.'  'Passion'  means 
first  of  all  '  suffering,'  and  next, '  the  violent  reaction  of  emotion ' ; 
the  reactions  here  spoken  of  are  '  of  sins,'  as  due  to  temptations 
to  sin,  and  as  resulting  in  indulgence  in  sin. 

through  the  law.  In  this  phrase  Paul  heralds  the  subject  of 
the  next  paragraph.      Law,  instead  of  restraining,  provokes  sin. 

wrought  in  our  members.  The  illustration  may  be  thus 
expanded.  The  passions  of  sins  are  the  husband  begetting, 
the  members  of  the  body  are  the  wife  bearing  the  offspring  of 
actions  resulting  in  death  (^a  similar  illustration  is  found  in  Jas.  i.  15). 


TO  THE  ROMANS   7.  6,  7  173 

members  to  bring  forth  fruit  unto  death.    But  now  we  have  6 
been  discharged  from  the  law,  having  died  to  that  wherein 
we  were  holden  ;  so  that  we  serve  in  newness  of  the  spirit, 
and  not  in  oldness  of  the  letter. 

What  shall  we  say  then  ?    Is  the  law  sin  ?    God  forbid.  7 

6.  discharged  from  the  law.  The  law  had  its  jurisdiction 
only  over  the  sinful  stale,  the  old  man  and  the  Christian  having 
now  no  further  connexion  with  that,  the  law  has  no  more  any 
claim  on  him. 

having'  died  to  that  wherein  we  were  holden.  The  old 
sinful  state  is  dead,  and  so  the  law  has  no  more  hold  over  it. 
The  figure  may  be  expanded  thus  :  (i)  The  sinful  state  was 
holden  by  the  law ;  (2)  the  self  was  wedded  to  the  sinful  state, 
and  so  under  the  law ;  (3)  the  sinful  state  died,  and  so  the  law 
had  no  more  to  do  with  it ;  (4)  the  self,  having  been  set  free  from 
its  connexion  with  the  sinful  state,  is  now  out  of  all  relation  to 
the  law. 

so  that:  better,  *so  as  to.'  Not  result,  but  purpose  is  ex- 
pressed. There  is  complete  emancipation  from  the  law  in  order 
that  a  new  service  may  be  entered  on. 

newness  of  the  spirit,  .  .  .  oldness  of  the  letter.  This 
does  not  mean  a  new  spirit  and  an  old  letter ;  but  the  new  state 
is  a  state  in  the  spirit :  the  old  state  was  a  state  under  the  letter. 
'Spirit'  and  'letter'  are  not  here  contrasted  as  the  essential  and 
the  literal  sense  of  a  commandment.  But  life  in  the  spirit  is  a 
life  maintained  and  controlled  by  the  Holy  Spirit  (see  chap,  viii), 
while  life  under  the  letter  is  life  under  the  commandments  of  the 
law  of  Moses. 

(4)  vii.  7-25.      The  powerlessness  of  the  law. 

The  Jewish  objector,  however,  might  assei  t  that  Paul  in  his  teach- 
ing was  identifying  law  and  sin,  if  deliverance  from  sin  must  needs 
mean  also  emancipation  from  law,  and  death  to  sin  an  end  of  the 
law.  Paul  indignantly  denies  this  inference,  and  appeals  to  his 
own  personal  experience  to  prove  that  not  only  is  law  impotent  to 
control  sin,  but  is  even  provocative  of  sin.  This  passage  raises 
two  questions,  (i)  Is  Paul's  use  of  the  first  person  singular 
merely  rhetorical,  or  is  he  autobiographical  ?  It  seems  certain  that 
he  is  giving  his  own  experience,  for  it  is  only  such  an  experience 
as  explains  his  attitude  to  the  law,  and  a  personal  testimony  has 
greater  value  in  the  argument  than  a  theoretical  discussion  could 
have.  On  the  other  hand,  however,  he  evidently  regards  his 
experience  as  not  solitary  but  as  t^'^pical ;  not  only  the  Jew  but 
even  the  Gentile  might  be  assumed  to  have  made  an  analogous 


174  TO  THE  ROMANS    7.  7 

Howbeit,  I  had  not  known  sin,  except  through  the  law : 

discovery  of  the  contradiction  of  conscience  and  conduct.  It  is 
more  doubtful,  however,  whether,  as  has  been  maintained,  we  can 
regard  verse  7  as  the  record  of  a  definite  event  in  Paul's  inner 
life,  when  the  discovery  for  the  first  time  of  the  inwardness  of 
the  law,  its  application  to  desire  and  disposition,  as  well  as  choice 
and  conduct,  disturbed  his  Pharisaic  self-satisfaction.  It  is 
possible  he  may  in  this  verse  be  giving  a  summary  account  of 
a  gradual  process  of  moral  development.  (2)  Does  this  passage 
refer  to  the  unregenerate  or  the  regenerate  state?  Is  Paul 
speaking  about  the  period  prior  to  his  conversion  ?  Paul  has  said 
what  he  has  to  say  about  justification,  and  he  is  now  dealing  with 
sanctification.  Hence  it  has  been  argued  the  position  of  the 
passage  shews  that  he  cannot  be  dealing  with  an  experience 
previous  to  justification,  but  only  with  one  which  fi'ls  within  the 
process  of  sanctification?  But  this  argument  is  not  conclusive, 
for  Paul's  aim  is  to  meet  an  objection  which  may  be  made  against 
allowing  his  claim  that  the  Christian  believer  is  free  from  the 
law ;  and  it  would  be  quite  natural  and  legitimate  to  him  to 
appeal  to  the  powerlessness  of  the  law,  as  he  had  experienced  it 
before  his  conversion,  in  proof  that  the  law  is  not  necessary  as 
a  means  of  sanctification  for  the  believer.  But  further,  in  this 
passage  he  assumes  that  the  law  is  a  legitimate  authority  for  the 
man  who  approves  but  does  not  obey  its  commands ;  whereas 
for  the  Christian  believer,  who  is  not  under  law,  but  under  grace, 
for  whom  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law,  the  law  is  non-existent. 
If  he  were  referring  to  the  Christian  experience  in  the  passage 
he  would  be  self-contradictory,  for  he  would  be  admitting  the 
validity  of  the  law,  which  it  is  the  purpose  of  his  argument  to 
deny.  It  is  true  that  the  Christian,  as  not  yet  made  perfect,  is 
prone  to  lapse  from  filial  freedom  to  legal  bondage  ;  as  his  will  is 
not  absolutely  identified  with  the  will  of  Christ,  holiness  will 
sometimes  cease  to  be  for  him  the  spontaneous  exercise  of  an  in- 
dwelling power,  and  will  appear  as  a  hard  task  to  be  discharged  ; 
the  contrast  between  desire  and  duty,  the  conflict  between  in- 
clination and  aspiration,  will  present  themselves  in  his  experience 
though  Christian  ;  and  in  so  far  his  regenerate  will  reproduce 
features  of  his  unregenerate  state.  This  experience  is  his  not  as 
a  Christian,  but  in  so  far  as  he  falls  short  of  claiming  and  using 
the  grace  offered  to  him  in  Christ.  Possibly  in  verse  25  Paul 
intends  to  confess  that  even  now  he  has  some  experience  of  this 
contrast  and  conflict,  for  there  seems  to  be  a  chronological 
sequence  in  this  personal  confession.  The  first  stage  of  his 
experience,  his  self-discovery  through  recognition  of  the  inward 
claim  of  the  law,  is  reported  in  verse  7,  the  end  of  his  Pharisaic 
self-complacency  in  verse  9,  the  utter  despair  that  possessed  him 


TO  THE  ROMANS   7.  7  175 

for  I  had  not  known  coveting,  except  the  law  had  said, 

as  he  vented  his  fury  on  the  Christians  in  verse  24,  the  deliverance 
that  came  to  him  on  the  way  to  Damascus  in  verse  25.  The  last 
sentence  of  this  passage  then  may  describe  the  continuance  in  the 
Apostle's  present  experience,  although  in  lesser  degree,  of  the 
struggle  which  had  filled  so  large  a  place  in  his  past  experience 
before  his  conversion.  It  is  an  admission  that  v/hile  through 
Christ  the  victory  has  been  decided,  yet  for  a  time  the  battle  must 
still  go  on.  While  the  capital  has  been  occupied  the  provinces 
have  yet  to  be  subdued.  To  apply  all  that  precedes  this  verse  to 
Paul  as  a  Christian,  however,  would  be  to  admit  practically  that 
the  grace  of  God  is  as  powerless  against  sin  as  the  law  is.  To 
blunt  the  point  of  this  argument,  as  is  sometimes  done,  by  the 
assumption  that  Paul  throughout  is  speaking  of  the  Christian 
experience  such  as  it  is,  or  at  least  might  be  apart  from  the  re- 
straining and  constraining  grace  of  Christ,  is  to  attribute  to  Paul 
an  over-subtlety  of  thought.  But  what  necessity  is  there  for  such 
desperate  expedients  to  escape  the  admission  that  this  is  an 
account  of  the  unregenerate  state  ?  The  reason  given  is  this  :  the 
unregenerate  man  does  not  and  cannot  approve  the  law  of  God  as 
good,  will  what  is  good,  delight  in  the  law  '  after  the  inward 
man.'  He  is  so  completely  in  bondage  to  sin  that  he  can  know 
nothing  of  struggle  against  sin.  This  is,  however,  an  exaggeration 
of  the  doctrine  of  total  depravity  which  is  simply  against  known 
facts.  A  man  is  not  absolutely  evil  before,  and  absolutely  good 
after,  his  conversion.  Neither  element  is  entirely  absent  from  the 
one  or  the  other  state,  only  their  relative  strength  is  changed.  It 
is  an  extreme  case  when  a  man  is  so  abandoned  to  sin  as  never  to 
condemn  it  in  his  conscience  and  resist  it  by  his  will.  Nearly  all 
men  know  something  of  the  inward  conflict,  even  if  it  be  not  as 
intense  and  constant  as  Paul's  was.  The  question  cannot  be 
decided  by  laying  stress  on  the  present  tense,  or  by  refusing  to 
take  it  literally,  by  quoting  single  phrases,  as  *  sold  under  sin,' 
'performing  (the  evil),'  'wretched  man,'  on  the  one  side,  or  'I 
hate  (the  evil),'  *  I  will  to  do  the  good,'  '  I  delight  in  the  law,'  on 
the  other.  But  we  must  take  the  passage  as  a  whole,  and  allow 
the  general  impression  to  tell  on  us  ;  we  must  consider  the 
purpose  to  prove  the  powerlessness  of  the  lav/  as  a  reason  for 
refusing  it  any  place  in  the  Christian  life  ;  we  must  note  its 
position  before  the  eighth  chapter,  which  sketches  the  career  of 
the  Christians.  With  these  explanations  the  course  of  the  argu- 
ment in  this  passage  will  be  better  appreciated. 

(a)  Although  deliverance  from  sin  means  emancipation  from 
law,  yet  law  and  sin  are  not  the  same  ;  but  law  makes  plain  what 
acts  are  sinful,  and  so  stirs  up  the  wish  to  sin  (7,  8  .  (b ,  Before 
the  knowledge  of  what  is  sinful  comes,  the  soul  is  happy  and  at 


176  TO  THE  ROMANS   7.  8,9 

8  Thou  shalt  not  covet :  but  sin,  finding  occasion,  wrought 
in  me  through  the  commandment  all  manner  of  coveting  : 

9  for  apart  from  the  law  sin  is  dead.     And  I  was  alive 

ease,  for  sin  has  not  been  aroused  to  defy  and  disobey  the  law  ; 
but  once  the  knowledge  is  given,  then  slumbering  sin  is  awakened 
and  the  soul  is  made  miserable  C9).  (c)  The  blame  of  this  result 
does  not  rest  on  the  law,  which  aims  at  leading  men  to  life, 
although  sin  so  uses  it  as  to  bring  them  to  death,  and  which  as 
given  by  God  is  holy,  and  shews  this  character  in  all  its  com- 
mands ;  but  all  the  fault  lies  with  sin,  which  is  provoked  by  control, 
and  turns  to  man's  injury  what  was  intended  for  his  good,  and  is 
thus  allowed  to  shew  its  real  nature  (10-13).  (^)  The  law  given 
by  God,  who  is  Spirit,  is  spiritual ;  but  man  to  whom  it  is  given 
has  not  only  the  weakness  of  a  creaturely  nature,  but  by  his 
physical  organism,  with  its  necessities  and  impulses,  has  been 
brought  into  bondage  to  sin.  For  while  on  the  one  hand  his 
better  self  (his  conscience  and  reason)  recognizes  the  command- 
ments of  the  law  as  right,  on  the  other  hand  his  lower  nature 
(his  passions  and  appetites)  is  altogether  possessed  by  sin,  so 
that  his  better  self  is  powerless  to  keep  him  from  sin  or  make  him 
do  right ;  and  he  finds  himself  under  the  power  of  sin  (14-20). 
{e)  Conscious  of  this  contradiction  between  his  higher  and  his 
lower  nature,  a  man  cannot  himself  remove  it  although  it  drives 
him  unto  despair  ;  and  even  when  deliverance  has  come  in  Christ, 
yet  the  conflict  goes  on  in  so  far  as  the  victory  is  not  yet  alto- 
gether achieved  (21-25). 

7.  coveting :  or,  '  lust.'  The  Greek  word  corresponds  rather 
with  the  latter  sense,  and  iwcludes  any  unlawful  desire,  but  may 
refer  especially  to  the  sensual  passion. 

8.  finding  occasion.  The  term  '  occasion  *  is  used  in  a  military 
sense  for  '  a  base  of  operations.'  The  phrase  '  finding  occasion  * 
means  '  taking  a  hint,'  or  '  adopting  a  suggestion.'  We  might 
render  here  '  getting  a  start,'  or  *  snatching  an  opportunity.' 

sin  is  dead.  The  restraint  on  man's  wishes,  the  opposition 
to  man's  inclinations  which  the  law  brings  with  it,  awakens  to 
life  the  self-seeking  and  self-pleasing  tendency  of  his  nature, 
which  is  not  conscious  of  itself  until  it  finds  itself  rebuked  and 
restrained  by  the  law  ;  but  this  self-discovery  has,  as  its  further 
result,  self-assertion  against  the  law. 

9.  alive.  This  word  describes  the  freedom  of  a  life  which 
knows  no  subjection  to  law,  the  ease  and  comfort  of  a  life  in  which 
conscience  knows  no  guilt.  The  earliest  years  of  childhood  before 
the  moral  sense  is  educated,  the  first  period  in  a  nation's  history 
before  moral  standards  have  been  fixed,  it  is  of  some  such  state 
that  Paul  is  thinking. 


TO  THE  ROMANS    7.  10-15  i77 

apart  from  the  law  once :  but  when  the  commandment 
came,  sin  revived,  and  I  died ;  and  the  commandment,  10 
which  was  unto  hfe,  this  I  found  fo  be  unto  death :  for  u 
sin,  finding  occasion,  through  the  commandment  beguiled 
me,  and  through  it  slew  me.     So  that  the  law  is  holy,  and  1 2 
the  commandment  holy,  and  righteous,  and  good.     Did  13 
then  that  which  is  good  become  death  unto  me  ?   God 
forbid.     But  sin,  that  it  might  be  shewn  to  be  sin,  by 
working  death  to  me  through  that  which  is  good ;—  that 
through  the  commandment  sin  might  become  exceeding 
sinful.     For  we  know  that  the  law  is  spiritual :  but  I  am  14 
carnal,  sold  under  sin.     For  that  which  I  do  I  know  not :  15 

revived.  Sin  began  to  live  at  the  falJ,  was  asleep  till  law 
came,  awoke  and  fell  to  work  when  stirred  up  by  the  law. 

10.  life...deatli.  The  law  was  given  in  order  that  by  obedience 
man  might  be  rewarded  with  the  blessings  of  life  (see  x.  5,  quota- 
tion from  Lev.  xviii.  5).  In  fact,  however,  by  his  disobedience 
he  incurred  the  penalty  of  death. 

11.  begruiled  me.  Paul  is  thinking  of  the  deceit  practised  by 
the  serpent  on  Eve  (Gen.  iii.  13  :  cf.  2  Cor.  xi.  3 ;  i  Tim.  ii.  14), 

slew:  made  miserable  with  a  sense  of  guilt,  and  brought 
under  the  doom  of  death. 

12.  the  law  .  .  .  the  conLmandiueut :  the  whole  and  the  part. 
holy :  set  apart  or  belonging  to  God. 

rigrliteous  :  according  to  standard. 
Sfood:  beneficent  in  intention. 

13.  The  eifect  of  law  in  and  by  itself  could  not  be  death  ;  but  its 
perversion  to  produce  this  result  was  permitted,  that  a  full  exposure 
of  the  character  of  sin  might  be  made,  as  turning  good  into  evil. 

sin:  supply  'became  death  to  me.' 

might  become  exceeding  sinful .  This  perversion  of  the  law  by 
sin  has  a  double  result :  it  shews  sin  in  its  true  character;  it  punishes 
sin  by  its  own  increase,  for  greater  sin  is  the  penalty  of  Jess  sin. 

14.  spiritual :  as  the  Manna,  and  the  Water  from  the  Rock 
(i  Cor.  X.  3,  4),  because  due  to  or  given  by  the  Spirit,  and  also 
because  corresponding  in  character  to  origin. 

carnal,  (i)  The  primary  reference  in  the  use  of  the  word 
'flesh'  is  to  the  material  organism  ;  man  is  spirit,  but  spirit  breathed 
into  a  body  of  flesh  and  blood ;  but  the  secondary  reference  is  to 
those  inclinations  to  self-indulgence  and  self-assertion  which 
have  their  occasion  in  the  body,  the  physical  impulses  and  animal 

N 


lyS  TO  THE  ROMANS  7.  15 

for  not  what  I  would,  that  do  I  practise ;  but  what  I  hate, 

appetites,  which  unrestrained  lead  man  into  sin.  Paul  contrasts 
*  spirit '  and  *  flesh '  as  opposed  principles,  and  hence  it  has  been 
maintained  that  he  regarded  the  flesh,  because  material,  as  essen- 
tially and  necessarily  evil,  having  thus  departed  from  the  Jewish 
and  adopted  the  Hellenic  view.  But  it  is  now  generally  agreed 
that  he  uses  flesh  in  the  O.  T.  sense  of  human  nature  in  its 
creaturely  weakness  ;  but  that  as  on  the  one  hand  he  distinguishes 
the  human  soul  from  the  Divine  spirit  more  sharply  than  had 
before  been  done,  so  on  the  other  he  attaches  to  '  flesh '  a  moral 
significance  as  the  occasion,  instrument,  and  seat  of  sin  ;  although 
not  originally  evil  by  nature,  it  has  become  in  man  a  force 
antagonistic  to  righteousness.  The  prevalence  of  sensual  sins 
in  the  heathen  world,  or,  as  has  been  even  suggested,  some  painful 
feature  in  his  own  experience,  may  have  led  Paul  to  use  the  term 
'  flesh '  for  sin  generally  ;  but  he  does  not  confine  the  term  to  sin 
which  has  a  connexion  with  the  body,  but  includes  in  'the  works 
of  the  flesh'  'enmities,  strifes,  jealousies,  wraths,  factions,  divi- 
sions, heresies'  (Gal.  v.  19).  His  hope  for  a  bodily  resurrection 
(viii.  23),  his  description  of  the  body  as  a  living  sacrifice  unto  God 
(xii.  I,  2)  and  as  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost  (i  Cor.  vi.  19),  his 
call  to  the  glorifying  of  God  in  the  body  (verse  20),  his  inclusion 
of  the  flesh  along  with  the  spirit  in  the  work  of  sanctification 
(2  Cor.  vii.  i),  and  his  ascription  of  flesh  to  Christ  (i.  3,  ix.  5 ; 
see  note  on  viii.  3) — all  these  are  proofs  that  Paul  did  not  regard 
the  flesh  as  essentially  and  necessarily  evil.  He  uses  the  term  in 
a  number  of  senses,  for  mankind  (iii.  20),  human  nature  (i.  3,  ix.  5, 
with  reference  to  Christ),  natural  relationship  (iv.  i,  ix.  3,  xi.  14), 
physical  organism  (ii.  28),  the  moral  impotence  of  human  nature 
(vi.  19),  human  nature  as  subject  to  sin  (vii.  5,  18,  25,  viii.  i,  3,  4, 
5,  7,  8,  9,  12,  13,  xiii.  14).  (ii)  There  are  two  Greek  adjectives, 
differing  only  by  one  letter,  formed  from  the  Greek  word  for  flesh, 
the  one  means  'consisting  of  flesh,  composed  of  flesh,'  and  the 
other  *  having  the  nature  of  flesh,'  i.  e.  under  the  control  of  the 
animal  appetites  ;  the  one  might  be  rendered  physical,  the  other 
sensual.  In  this  place  some  of  the  MSS.  read  the  one  word, 
others  the  other.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  however,  that  the 
moral  reference  is  here  intended,  and  that  '  carnal '  is  the  correct 
rendering,  although  the  balance  of  authority  is  rather  in  favour  of 
the  word  which  bears  the  more  general  sense.  If  Paul  did  not 
use  the  terms  indiscriminately,  he  may  possibly  have  intended,  by 
using  the  word  in  which  the  moral  reference  is  usually  absent, 
to  lay  emphasis  on  the  connexion  of  sin  with  the  bodily  organism. 
If  Paul  is  thinking  especially  of  sensual  sin,  then  in  verse  7  we  should 
render  '  coveting  '  and  '  covet '  '  lust.'  The  same  uncertainty  about 
the  reading  is  found  in  i  Cor.  iii.  i,  where  'carnal'  is  contrasted 


TO  THE  ROMANS  7.  16-18  179 

that  I  do.     But  if  what  I  would  not,  that  I  do,  I  consent  16 
unto  the  law  that  it  is  good.     So  now  it  is  no  more  I  that  17 
do  it,  but  sin  which  dwelleth  in  me.     For  I  know  that  18 
in  me,  that  is,  in  my  flesh,  dwelleth  no  good  thing :  for 
to  will  is  present  with  me,  but  to  do  that  which  is  good 

with  '  spiritual.'  There  is  no  doubt  of  the  reading  or  rendering  in 
I  Pet.  ii.  II,  'fleshly  lusts';  2  Cor.  x.  4,  'weapons  not  of  the 
flesh'  ;  i.  12,  '  fleshly  wisdom.'  In  Rom.  xv.  27  and  i  Cor,  ix.  11 
*  carnal  things '  is  a  phrase  without  moral  reference  ;  although  it  is 
used  in  contrast  to  '  spiritual  things,'  it  means  simply  '  things 
needed  for  the  sustenance  of  the  body.* 

sold  nnder  sin :  like  a  prisoner  of  war  who  has  been  sold  as 
a  slave  ;  sin  is  the  master  under  whose  power  the  human  person- 
ality has  been  put  by  the  flesh  with  its  impulses  and  appetites. 

15.  do :  Gr.  '  work ' ;  carry  into  effect,  not  as  a  voluntary  agent, 
but  as  an  instrument  in  another's  power, 

I  know  not.  Action  does  not  follow  deliberation;  but  sin, 
acting  on  the  impulses  and  appetites,  uses  the  will  as  its  tool. 
Hence  there  is  failure  on  the  one  hand  to  practise,  do  as  a 
responsible  moral  being,  what  has  been  resolved  on,  and  on  the 
other  hand  there  is  the  working  or  doing  as  an  inanimate  machine 
what  the  conscious  self  condemns  and  opposes. 

16.  This  action  without  choice,  contrary  to  purpose,  shews 
that  the  self  does  not  approve  sin,  but  does  approve  the  law  of 
God,  which  sin  disobeys, 

17.  So  now:  not  '  at  the  present  time,'  but  *  as  the  case  is.' 

I.  The  inner,  higher  self  has  no  share  in  the  sin,  but  is 
hindered  and  overcome  by  the  sin  which,  as  a  foreign  power,  has 
invaded,  subjected,  and  tyrannizes  over  the  human  personality. 
Paul  therefore  regards  sin  not  merely  as  the  wrong  choice  of  the 
self,  but  as  a  power  which  can  gain  the  mastery  over  the  self,  so 
as  to  compel  action  contrary  to  its  desires  and  purposes.  He 
divides  the  personality  into  two  parts,  the  inward  man,  and  the 
flesh  or  the  members  in  which  sin  dwells,  and  he  identifies  self 
with  the  inward  man,  and  treats  the  flesh  and  members  as  some- 
thing distinct  from  the  self.  This  is  assuredly  no  scientific 
psychology,  but  one  cannot  even  refrain  from  asking  oneself 
whether  it  does  not  implicitly  deny  liberty  and  responsibility.  In 
the  next  verse,  however,  this  analysis  is  modified. 

18.  in  me.  Paul  now  identifies  the  self  with  the  flesh,  just  as 
before  he  had  identified  it  with  the  inward  man,  so  that  after  all 
the  self  is  responsible  for,  and  active  in  the  deeds  of,  sin  in  the 
flesh. 

to  will  is  present  with  me:    volition  'lies  to  my  hand,'  or 

N    2 


i8o  TO  THE  ROMANS  7.  19-23 

19  is  not.     For  the  good  which  I  would  I  do  not :  but  the 

20  evil  which  I  would  not,  that  I  practise.  But  if  what  I 
would  not,  that  I  do,  it  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but 

21  sin  which  dwelleth  in  me.     I  find  then  the  law,  that,  to 

22  me  who  would  do  good,  evil  is  present.     For  I  delight 

23  in  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man  :  but  I  see  a 
different  law  in  my  members,  warring  against  the  law  of 
my  mind,  and  bringing  me  into  captivity  under  the  law 

'  is  within  my  reach.'  Willing  and  doing  are  here  contrasted, 
although  volition  is  not  complete  until  it  takes  effect  in  action. 
'  To  will '  is  here  used  as  equivalent  to  '  to  wish  '  or  '  to  purpose.' 
Goodness  does  not  get  beyond  the  intention  ;  so  far  the  self  can 
go  in  its  approval  of  the  law,  but  action  is  beyond  its  power. 

20.  no  more  I  .  .  .  but  sin.  But  can  a  man  thus  disown 
responsibility  for  his  actions?  Probably  all  that  Paul  means, 
however,  is  that  while  sin  is  chosen  and  willed,  and  it  involves 
guilt  only  as  chosen  and  willed,  the  self  is  not  absolutely  identified 
with  the  evil  choice,  but  there  is  still  left  in  a  man  the  desire  and 
the  purpose  not  to  sin  but  to  do  righteousness.  This  Paul  regards 
as  the  true  and  permanent  self  of  the  man  ;  he  is  thus  far  from 
teaching  the  doctrine  of  total  depravity. 

21.  tlie  law :  or,  *in  regard  to  the  law.'  In  the  former  rendering 
the  term  'the  law'  is  used  in  an  unusual  sense  for  'the  rule,' 
'  the  constraining  principle ' :  the  content  of  this  rule  then  is  the 
presence  of  evil  in  the  self  willing  good.  In  the  latter  case  'the 
law'  means  especially  the  Mosaic  law,  one  of  the  commandments 
of  which  has  been  quoted,  and  the  meaning  may  be  brought  out 
in  a  paraphrase  :  In  so  far  as  concerns  my  relation  to  the  law, 
while  I  approve  it  as  good,  and  wish  to  obey  it,  yet  I  am  hindered 
by  ever-present  sin.  Paul  may  be  supposed  to  have  intended  to 
write,  '  I  find  the  law,  when  I  intend  to  do  good,  powerless  to  help 
me,'  but  instead  of  completing  the  sentence  to  have  turned  aside 
to  state  what  made  the  law  thus  powerless.  While  the  use  of 
the  term  *  law '  for  '  rule '  is  unusual,  yet  the  former  rendering  does 
less  violence  to  the  grammatical  structure  of  the  sentence  than 
the  latter. 

22.  delight.     Conscience  approves  what  law  commands. 
inward  man  (vi.  6),  reason,  conscience,  mental  and  moral 

faculties. 

23.  a  different  law :  a  force  acting  uniformly  in  opposition  to 
the  law  which  the  inward  man  approves. 

law  of  my  mind :  or,    reason ' ;  the  faculty  which  distinguishes 
right  from  wrong,  which  belongs  to  man's  moral  nature,  and  is 


TO  THE  ROMANS   7.  24,  25  181 

of  sin  which  is  in  my  members.     O  wretched  man  that  I  24 
am  !  who  shall  deliver  me  out  of  the  body  of  this  death  ? 
I  thank  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     So  then  25 

distinct  from  '  spirit,'  which  is  the  pecuh'ar  organ  of  reh'gion.  This 
*  mind '  may  become  reprobate  (i,  28),  but  it  can  also  be  renewed 
(xii.  2),  The  inward  man  is  a  wider  term,  but  includes  the  mind. 
The  law  revealed  to  and  approved  by  the  mind  becomes  the  law 
of  the  mind. 

24.  wretclied  man.  This  cannot  describe  a  Christian.  But  could 
a  Pharisee  be  so  miserable — would  he  not  be  self-satisfied  ?  But 
Paul  had  probably  lost  all  Pharisaic  vanity  and  conceit  before  he 
became  a  Christian.  Possibly  it  was  his  discovery  that  Pharisaism 
offered  no  way  of  peace  that  drove  him  into  persecuting  the 
Christians,  as  both  a  relief  from  his  inward  misery,  and  a  means 
of  securing  God's  favour,  which  he  had  realized  he  could  not  obtain 
by  the  keeping  of  the  law.  "Was  his  vision  on  the  way  to  Damascus 
an  answer  to  so  despairing  a  cry  ?  Were  the  goads  against  which 
he  had  kicked  the  feelings  of  intense  disgust  with,  and  despair 
regarding,  himself?  This  passage,  however,  is  not  merely  auto- 
biography, it  expresses  a  typical  experience. 

the  body :  the  realm  in  which  sin  reigns. 

this  death.  The  body  as  subject  to  sin  is  also  under  the 
dominion  of  death.  It  is  a  body  doomed  to  die.  For  Paul 
deliverance  from  sin  appeared  to  be  completed  only  when  the 
body  which  had  been  its  occasion,  seat,  and  instrument  was  taken 
away.  Christians  wait  for  their  adoption,  *  the  redemption  of 
their  body '  at  the  resurrection  (viii.  23). 

25.  I  thank  God :  or,  '  But  thanks  be  to  God.*  What  does  Paul 
thank  God  for?  (i)  The  power  of  the  new  life  in  Christ,  death 
to  sin,  and  life  unto  God.  (2)  The  hope  given  in  Christ  of  final 
emancipation  from  sin  and  death. 

So  then :  the  words  following  do  not  serve  simply  as  a 
summary  of  the  whole  passage,  but  are  an  admission  by  Paul 
that  the  deliverance  in  Christ  has  not  yet  been  completed,  and 
that  the  inward  conflict,  though  in  modified  form,  still  continues. 

The  Christian's  Emancipation  from  the  Law  (vii). 

As  Paul's  teaching  in  the  relation  of  the  Christian  to  the  law 
may  be  easily  misunderstood,  and  so  present  serious  difficulties, 
it  seems  necessary  at  this  stage  to  offer  some  observations  in 
explanation  and  defence  of  his  view.  The  immediate  practical 
question  which  Paul  had  to  deal  with  in  his  apostolate  was  the 
emancipation  of  his  Gentile  converts  from  the  Jewish  law,  the 
rite  of  circumcision,  and  all  the  ceremonial  and  ritual  observances 


i82  TO  THE  ROMANS  7.  25 

I  myself  with  the  mind  serve  the  law  of  God  ;   but  with 
the  flesh  the  law  of  sin. 


of  Judaism.  But  he  is  not  content  with  settling  this  narrower 
issue ;  he  raises  the  wider  problem  of  the  relation  of  the  believer 
to  any  law,  and  solves  it  by  affirming  his  absolute  freedom. 
While  there  would  be  none  found  probably  who  would  deny  the 
Tightness  of  his  advocacy  of  Gentile  emancipation  from  Judaism, 
yet  doubt  may  be  felt  regarding  the  wisdom  of  his  assertion 
of  absolute  freedom.  Licence  and  laxity  may  so  easily  take 
the  place  of  liberty  that  law  in  some  form  or  another  seems 
a  necessary  provision  for  the  moral  life.  We  must  look  at  Paul's 
teaching  to  see  if  it  provides  the  necessary  moral  safeguards. 
While  the  Jew  has  the  law  of  Moses,  the  Gentile  has  the  law 
in  himself.  The  Jew,  while  boasting  his  possession,  neglects  the 
practice  of  the  law,  and  it  is  not  having  but  doing  the  law  that 
profits.  Yet  as  all  have  sinned  none  can  be  justified  by  the  works 
of  the  law.  What  the  law  alone  does,  and  can  do,  is  to  bring  the 
knowledge  of  sin.  Sin  as  disobedience  to  a  known  prohibition 
becomes  transgression,  and  so  incurs  guilt,  and  therefore  the  law 
works  wrath.  Not  only  does  the  law  bring  condemnation,  but 
b3'  its  very  restraint  provokes  sin,  and  so  multiplies  the  offence. 
The  sin  in  man's  nature,  the  flesh,  not  only  renders  man  impotent 
to  fulfil  the  demands  of  the  law,  but  is  even  driven  to  more 
reckless  self-assertion  in  opposition  to  the  law.  This  was  Paul's 
own  experience  of  life  under  the  law.  While  it  awakened  the 
moral  consciousness,  it  could  not  strengthen  the  moral  purpose ; 
it  produced  only  a  deeper  sense  of  discord  between  duty  and 
desire.  Despair  of  self  was  all  the  law  brought  to  him.  In  many 
of  his  countrymen  it  worked  otherwise,  but  even  more  disastrously. 
It  led  them  to  make  the  assumption  that  they  could  so  keep  the 
commandments  of  God  as  to  gain  merit  before  Him,  and  so  secure 
a  reward.  It  led  them  to  take  up  an  attitude  of  presumptuous 
confidence  towards  God  ;  to  claim  God's  favour  as  a  right  instead 
of  welcoming  it  as  a  gift.  A  false  view  of  the  relation  of  God 
and  man  was  the  result  of  the  law  for  the  majority  of  the  Jewish 
people.  This  result  was  what  John  the  Baptist  and  Christ  himself 
liad  condemned  in  the  people,  as  the  other  result  was  what 
Paul  experienced  in  himself.  While  he  generally  approves  the 
provisions  of  the  law,  asserts  its  Divine  origin,  ascribes  its  failure 
to  the  wilfulness  and  weakness  of  the  flesh,  disowns  any  intention 
to  identify  law  and  sin,  and  instead  of  making  it  void  seeks  to 
establish  it ;  yet  he  puts  for  all  its  varied  and  complex  provisions 
the  one  principle  of  love  as  the  fulfilment  of  the  law,  and  for 
conformity  to  its  rules,  union  with  Christ  realized  in  a  life  in  the 
Spirit.     Disregarding  all  the  ceremonial  and  ritual  observances 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.   i  183 

There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation  to  them  that  8 

of  the  law,  he  affirms  its  moral  content  yet  iiot  as  external 
command,  but  as  inward  constraint.  Morality  for  him  is  not  the 
observance  of  rules,  but  the  spontaneous  and  energetic  expression 
and  exercise  of  a  Divine  life  present  and  active  in  the  believer — 
a  life,  the  characteristic,  constant  feature  of  which  is  love,  because 
reproducing  the  nature  of  God.  Rigliteousness  must  be  done,  of 
that  he  is  convinced.  What  is  the  most  effective  way  of  securing 
that  man's  liberty  will  be  used  for  righteousness?  Experience 
had  proved  that  conformity  to  an  external  command  failed  to 
secure  righteousness.  Experience  was  proving  that  union  with 
Christ  by  his  Spirit  made  possible  a  life  of  love,  in  which  all  the 
commandments  found  their  fulfilment.  Who  can  doubt  the  greater 
effectiveness  of  the  expulsive  and  the  impulsive  power  of  the 
new  affection  for  Christ,  as  compared  with  the  restraints  or  the 
constraints  of  conscience  apart  from  Christ  ?  If  a  man  will  not 
rise  to  the  height  of  this  union  with  Christ,  which  makes  the 
moral  life  free,  he  is  not  by  his  failure  released  from  the  demands 
of  purity,  temperance,  justice,  charity.  If  he  will  not  live  under 
grace,  he  must  needs  fall  under  law.  As  in  the  history  of  mankind 
law  was  a  preparatory  stage  for  grace,  so  in  individual  experience, 
he  who  will  not  accept  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord  has  no  part 
in  the  freedom  wherewith  Christ  makes  free,  the  freedom  that 
is  secured  and  maintained  only  by  dying  unto  sin  and  living 
unto  God.  If  a  believer  in  Christ  uses  his  liberty  for  self- 
indulgence,  he  in  that  act  lapses  from  his  Christian  standing, 
and  needs,  by  penitence  and  pardon,  to  be  restored  to  it.  He 
enjoys  rightful  freedom  only  in  so  far  as  he  is  in  all  things  one 
with  the  mind  and  will  of  Christ.  His  emancipation  from  the 
law  means,  and  can  mean  nothing  else  than  absolute  submission 
to  Christ.  Surrender  to  a  person  takes  the  place  of  obedience  to 
a  commandment,  and  as  it  is  surrender  to  a  person  dearly  beloved 
it  is  felt  as  perfect  freedom. 

(5)  viii.    The  course  of  the  Christian  life. 

This  chapter  sketches  in  outhne  the  life  of  the  believer,  for 
which,  in  vii.  25,  Paul  gives  thanks.  In  it  is  shewn  (i)  that 
Christ's  coming  and  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  have  done  in  him  what 
the  law  failed  to  do  (i-ii);  (ii)  that  he,  living  in  the  Spirit, 
becomes  a  son  and  an  heir  of  God  (12-17)  ;  (iii)  that  nature  shares 
his  ardent  expectation  of  his  inheritance  (18-25)  ;  (iv)  that  he  in 
his  present  experience  is  sustained  by  the  Spirit's  intercession 
in  accordance  with  the  Divine  purpose  (26-30) ;  (v)  that  he  thus, 
amid  all  affliction,  has  the  certainty  of  ultimate  triumph  (31-39)' 

(i)  viii.  i-ii.  The  Spirit's  power,  (a)  Christ  by  his  Spirit, 
which  is  life  and  gives  life,  has  saved  the  believer  from  the  power 


i84  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  2 

2  are  in  Christ  Jesus.     For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in 
Christ  Jesus  made  me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  of 

of  sin  and  the  dominion  of  death  ;  for  by  assuming  the  human 
nature,  of  which  sin  has  taken  possession,  and  by  offering  it  as 
a  sacrifice,  he  has  executed  God's  sentence  on  sin,  a  task  beyond 
the  power  of  the  law  to  accompHsh  owing  to  the  hindrance  offered 
by  the  sinful  passions,  and  accordingly  has  effected  a  moral 
transformation  in  human  nature  (1-4).  (6)  This  transformation 
involves  a  complete  change  of  interests  and  inclinations,  the 
spiritual  taking  the  place  of  the  carnal,  and  results  in  the  entire 
removal  of  the  estrangement  between  God  and  man  due  to  sin, 
and  their  complete  reconciliation  (5-8.  (c)  The  evidence  of  this 
transformation  is  the  present  possession  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which 
is  the  promise  and  pledge  of  a  personal  resurrection  similar  to 
Christ's,  even  although  the  existing  physical  organism,  because 
of  its  connexion  with  sin,  must  perish  (9-1 1).  These  verses  are 
pregnant  with  truth.  The  purpose  of  God  the  Father,  the 
incarnation  and  sacrifice  of  God  the  Son,  the  presence  and  power 
of  God  the  Spirit,  are  all  mentioned  as  co-operative  in  accom- 
plishing what  the  law  could  not  accomplish.  The  execution  of 
sentence  on  sin,  the  deliverance  of  man  from  the  power  of  sin, 
the  justification  of  the  believer  in  the  sight  of  God,  the  recon- 
ciliation of  the  forgiven  to  God,  the  communication  of  the  Spirit, 
the  resurrection  of  the  body— all  these  truths  are  presented  in  this 
outline  of  the  believer's  life. 

1.  condemnation.  This  is  the  very  opposite  of  justification. 
Although  Paul  here  recalls  the  initial  stage  of  the  Christian  life, 
when  the  believer  is  declared  and  treated  as  righteous,  yet  what 
he  is  going  to  deal  with  is  the  process  of  sanctification.  But 
there  is  a  reason  for  this  statement.  If  the  grace  of  God  were 
not  able  to  keep  a  man  holy  he  would  be  always  lapsing  again 
into  sin,  and  so  again  coming  under  condemnation,  and  again 
needing  justification.  As  the  Christian  life  is,  however,  in  its 
ideal  one  of  progressive  sanctification,  the  initial  act  of  justification 
does  not  need  to  be  repeated. 

them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesns.  Without  such  union  in 
death  and  life  with  Christ  as  is  described  in  vi.  i-ii,  a  man 
cannot  on  the  one  hand  claim  the  justification  of  which  Paul 
treats  in  iii.  21-31,  or  on  the  other  experience  the  sanctification 
with  which  this  chapter  deals.  Saving  faith  is  not,  and  cannot  be, 
anything  else  or  less  than  such  union  with  Christ. 

2.  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  :  the  rule  exercised  by  the 
Spirit,  who  is  Himself  life,  and  gives  life.  The  lawless  tyranny  of 
sin  and  death  is  abolished  by  the  lawful  authority  of  the  Spirit, 
who  has  not  only  the  right  but  also  the  power  to  reign. 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  3  185 

death.     For  what  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  3 
weak  through  the  flesh,  God,  sending  his  own  Son  in  the 

3.  what  the  law  coxild  not  do.  (i)  Literally  the  phrase  may  be 
rendered  in  two  ways  :  (i)  the  impossible  for  the  law  (passive 
sense),  or  (2)  the  impotence  of  the  law  (active  sense).  The  R.  V. 
rendering  assumes  the  first  sense,  which  is  more  in  accord  with 
Biblical  usage,  and  gives  an  easier  construction  of  the  whole 
sentence,  although  ancient  authority,  which  must  have  great 
weight  in  the  interpretation  of  the  language,  supports  the  second 
sense,  (ii)  As  regards  the  relation  of  this  phrase  to  the  whole 
sentence,  two  constructions  are  possible,  (i)  Either  we  regard 
'  the  impossible  to  the  law '  as  an  accusative  in  apposition, 
explaining  'condemned  sin  in  the  flesh*;  Christ  by  his  coming 
did  what  the  law  could  not  do.  (2)  Or  we  treat  'the  impotence 
of  the  law '  as  a  nominative  in  apposition,  which  is  defined  by  the 
following  sentence.  The  impotence  of  the  law  is  shewn  by  this, 
that  Christ  had  to  come  to  condemn  sin  in  the  flesh.  This  is 
a  more  difficult  construction,  and  gives  a  more  strained  sense. 
The  R.  V.  interpretation  is  therefore  to  be  preferred, 

in  that  =  because  :  or,  'wherein.'  The  latter  sense  is  better, 
as  Paul  is  not  stating  the  reason  for  the  powerlessness  of  the  law, 
but  calling  attention  to  the  point  in  which  it  fails.  While  the 
law  can  point  out  the  right  way  it  cannot  make  weak  man  walk 
in  it. 

his  own  Son.  The  word  *  own '  is  intended  to  emphasize 
the  close  relationship  between  Christ  and  God.  So  again  in  verse 
32,  although  another  Greek  word  is  used  which  might  be  para- 
phrased by  'his  very'  Son.  In  Col.  i.  13  the  sense  is  given  more 
fully,  '  the  Son  of  His  love.' 

in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh.  The  phrase  raises  two 
important  questions,  (i)  Does  Paul  use  the  term  'likeness'  to 
suggest  similarity  and  not  identity  between  the  human  nature 
of  Christ  and  that  of  mankind  generally  ?  (2)  By  the  term  '  flesh 
of  sin,*  does  he  mean  simply  to  state  the  fact  that  in  mankind 
generally  the  flesh  is  the  seat  of  sin  ?  or  does  he  expressly  affirm 
an  essential  and  necessary  connexion  between  the  flesh  and  sin? 
On  the  answer  to  these  questions  depends  the  further  important 
question,  (3)  Was  the  nature  which  the  Son  of  God  assumed  a  sinful 
human  nature,  that  is,  a  nature  with  a  tendency  to  evil,  which, 
although  it  was  never  allowed  to  assert  itself,  was  nevertheless 
present,  and  had  constantly  to  be  kept  under  restraint  ?  or  was  it 
a  human  nature,  liable  to  temptation  yet  without  any  inclination 
to  evil?  As  regards  the  answer  to  the  second  question,  it  has 
already  been  shewn  (see  vii.  14)  that  Paul  does  not  affirm  the 
essential  or  necessary  sinfulness  of  the  flesh,  although  as  a  matter 


1 86  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  4 

likeness  of  sinful  flesh  and  as  an  offering  for  sin,  con- 
4  demned  sin  in  the  flesh :  that  the  ordinance  of  the  law 

of  fact  there  is  a  close  and  constant  connexion  between  sin  and 
flesh.  As  regards  the  first  question,  the  answer  depends  on 
what  has  just  been  stated.  For  if  Paul  had  regarded  the  flesh 
as  necessarily  and  essentially  evil,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
term  '  likeness '  would  have  been  intended  to  indicate  similarity 
but  not  identity ;  but  if  he  was  simply  stating  the  fact  that 
the  flesh  is  the  seat  of  sin  in  mankind  generally,  then  there  was 
not  the  same  motive  for  in  any  way  distinguishing  Christ's  human 
nature  from  that  of  all  other  men.  Now  briefly  to  answer  the 
third  question  we  may  say  that  Paul  intends  to  affirm  the  likeness 
of  Christ's  humanity  with  man's  as  flesh,  material  organism,  and 
all  that  that  may  involve,  but  so  far  also  the  unlikeness,  as  the 
flesh  was  never  the  seat  of  sin.  Liability  to  temptation,  conflict 
with  evil,  conquest  of  sin,  all  these  he  means  to  ascribe  to  Christ, 
else  the  verse  would  have  no  meaning  at  all,  for  a  personality 
incapable  of  sin  would  not  have  condemned  sin  in  the  flesh. 

and  as  an  offering  for  sin :  Gk.  '■  and  for  sin.*  This  phrase 
is  found  constantly  in  the  Greek  O.  T.  as  an  equivalent  for 
the  *  sin-offering.'  In  Leviticus  alone  it  is  used  more  than  fifty 
times.  As  Paul  in  iii,  25  describes  Christ's  death  as  propitiatory, 
and  as  his  reference  probably  is  to  sacrifices  (see  note  there),  it  is 
possible  that  he  here  does  refer  to  the  sin-offering,  but  the  context 
seems  to  require  a  wider  reference.  The  purpose  of  the  passage 
is  to  shew  that  the  Christian  can  now  gain  a  victory  over  sin 
which  the  law  was  powerless  to  secure  for  him  ;  tiie  power  by 
which  he  thus  conquers  is  the  Spirit.  Christ's  life  was  typical. 
He  became  truly  man,  and  yet  instead  of  coming  into  subjection 
to  sin,  he  resisted  its  temptations,  and  so  conquered  it ;  and  he 
has  thus  proved  sin  both  unnecessary  and  unjustified.  His 
sinlessness  was  the  condemnation  of  the  sin  of  all  mankind. 
Christ  dealt  with  sin  on  behalf  of  mankind,  not  only  in  bearing 
its  penalty  in  his  death,  but  also  in  denying  its  claim,  breaking  its 
power,  overthrowing  its  reign  in  his  life,  in  which,  although  he 
was  tempted  in  all  points  even  as  we  are,  yet  he  was  Vv^ithout  sin. 
While  this  wider  reference  of  the  phrase  does  admirably  suit  the 
context,  yet  the  emphasis  Paul  lays  on  Christ's  death  in  his 
teaching  maybe  admitted  to  lend  support  to  the  narrower  reference 
to  a  sacrifice  for  sin. 

condemned  sin  in  the  flesh.  Is  this  condemnation  to  be 
limited  to  his  death,  or  extended  to  his  life  as  well  ?  If  limited 
to  his  death,  as  a  vicarious  endurance  of  the  penalty  of  sin,  then 
it  is  viewed  as  the  ground  of  justification,  and  not  as  the  reason 
for   sanctification    as    the    context   requires.     The  law  was  able 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  5,  6  187 

might  be  fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but 
after  the  spirit.     For  they  that  are  after  the  flesh  do  mind  5 
the  things  of  the  flesh ;  but  they  that  are  after  the  spirit 
the  things  of  the  spirit.     For  the  mind  of  the  flesh  is  6 

to  condemn  sin  in  the  sense  in  which  Christ's  vicarious  sacrifice 
was  a  condemnation  of  sin.  It  demanded  and  pronounced  such 
penalty.  What  the  law  could  not  do  was  to  enable  men  to  live 
a  holy  life  as  now  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ  was  made  possible  for 
them.  This  condemnation  must,  therefore,  have  taken  place  in 
Christ's  life,  or  in  his  death  only  as  the  crowning  act  of  his 
conflict  with,  and  conquest  of,  sin.  In  his  death  he  died  to  sin 
in  the  sense  that  he  ceased  from  all  contact  with  sin,  was  no 
longer  liable  to  temptation,  in  his  filial  obedience  made  an  absolute 
surrender  to  God  of  that  will  of  self  which  is  asserted  in  sin. 
This  death  to  sin  was  not  brought  about  merely  by  a  physical 
event,  but  by  a  moral  process  which,  continued  throughout  his 
life,  was  completed  in  his  obedience  unto  death,  his  surrender 
unto  God  :  *  Not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done.'  Christ's  whole 
life,  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  which  is  summed  up  in  the  sacrifice 
of  his  death,  the  offering  not  merely  of  a  slain  body,  but  of 
a  surrendered  will,  is  the  condemnation  of  sin.  For  the  Christian 
joined  to  Christ,  and  therefore  sharing  his  obedience,  sin  has  been 
once  for  all  condemned  as  having  no  claim  on  him,  no  rule  over 
him.  This  is  the  most  attractive  and  seems  the  most  appropriate 
interpretation.  If,  however,  the  reference  in  the  previous  phrase 
is  to  the  sin-offering,  then  the  sense  here  must  be  somewhat  as 
follows  :  Christ  in  his  death  was  made  sin  for  us,  and  became 
a  curse.  His  death  was  the  execution  of  the  Divine  sentence  of 
condemnation  on  sin.  Sin  thus  appears  as  an  executed  criminal, 
and  therefore  its  power  is  broken  ;  its  rule  is  ended  for  all  who,,  as 
united  to  Christ,  accept  the  Divine  judgement  on  sin. 

4.  ordinance :  the  righteous  demand. 

fulfilled.  Paul  does  not  mean  literal  obedience  to  the  Mosaic 
statutes.  By  '  fulfilment '  he  means  what  Christ  means  in  Matt.  v. 
17,  what  the  law  aimed  at  making  man  in  character  and  conduct 
by  its  precepts,  and  failed  in  making  him,  that  he  fully  and  freely 
becomes  by  life  in  the  Spirit. 

flesh,  .  .  .  spirit.  *  Flesh  '  is  man's  nature  in  its  creaturely 
weakness  and  its  proneness  to  sin  ;  '  Spirit '  is  that  nature  as 
renewed  by  grace,  and  devoted  to  righteousness  through  the 
Spirit  of  God. 

5.  mind:  set  their  minds  and  hearts  on;  direct  their  spiritual 
faculties  of  attention,  affection,  and  activity  to  (cf  Matt.  xvi.  23  ; 
Phil.  ii.  5). 


i88  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  7-10 

death;  but  the  mind  of  the  spirit  is  life  and  peace: 

7  because  the  mind  of  the  flesh  is  enmity  against  God;  for 
it  is  not  subject  to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  it 

8  be :  and  they  that  are  in  the  flesh  cannot  please  God. 

9  But  ye  are  not  in  the  flesh,  but  in  the  spirit,  if  so  be  that 
the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you.     But  if  any  man  hath 

I'j  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his.     And  if  Christ 

6.  the  mind  of  the  flesh  is  death.  The  general  intention  and 
inclination  of  the  life  in  the  flesh  is  such  that  it  produces  a  mental, 
moral,  and  spiritual  decay,  which  will  finally  culminate  in  death 
of  body  and  soul. 

life  and  peace.  Not  only  is  he  who  lives  in  the  Spirit  assured 
of  a  blessed  and  glorious  immortality,  but  already  he  experiences 
that  quickening  of  mind,  heart,  and  will  which  is  its  foretaste. 
'  Peace '  adds  to  the  objective  fact,  the  subjective  feeling  of  satis- 
faction in  the  state  attained ;  for  the  term  means  not  only 
reconciliation  with  God,  but  also  the  blissful  consciousness  of 
such  reconciliation. 

*7.  enmity  against  God.  Only  he  who  lives  in  the  Spirit  can 
be  at  peace  with  God,  because  by  its  very  nature  the  life  in  the 
flesh,  as  self-indulgence  and  self-assertion,  involves  disobedience 
and  antagonism  to  God,  and  results  in  a  sense  of  estrangement 
from  God.  It  is  characteristic  of  Paul's  style  that  he  should,  in 
verse  6,  contrast  the  mind  of  the  flesh  and  the  mind  of  the  Spirit 
as  regards  their  ultimate  consequences,  death  and  life  ;  that  he 
should  mar  the  symmetry  of  his  sentence  by  adding,  as  an  after- 
thought, the  words  'and  peace,'  and  that  by  that  afterthought 
he  should  be  turned  back  in  his  course  to  deal  with  some  of 
the  more  immediate  consequences  of  the  mind  of  the  flesh — 
estrangement  from  God,  disobedience  against  God,  disapproval 
by  God. 

9.  not  in  the  flesh.  The  believer  still  lives  in  his  material 
organism,  but  the  impulses  and  appetites,  of  which  it  is  the  source 
and  instrument,  no  longer  dominate  his  will  and  so  control  his 
action. 

in  the  spirit.  The  characteristic  of  this  life  is  the  prominence 
and  predominance  of  the  affections  and  activities  in  which  man 
shews  his  affinity  to,  and  maintains  his  communion  with,  God. 

if  so  toe.  The  old  life  ceases  only  as  the  new  life  commences; 
the  Spirit  can  alone  expel  the  flesh  from  rule  in  man's  life. 

the  Spirit  of  God.  This  life  in  the  Spirit  is  not  the  result  of 
human  effort ;  it  is  due  to  the  operation  of  God  personally  in  man. 

none  of  his.     Without  the  Spirit  a  man  is  in  no  sense  a 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  ii  189 

is  in  you,  the  body  is  dead  because  of  sin  ;  but  the  spirit 
is  Hfe  because  of  righteousness.  But  if  the  Spirit  of  him 
that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead  dwelleth  in  you,  he 
tha^t  raised  up  Christ  Jesus  from  the  dead  shall  quicken 
also  your  mortal  bodies  through  his  Spirit  that  dwelleth 
in  you. 


Christian.  He  is  the  Spirit  of  God  as  God  is  the  ultimate  source, 
the  Spirit  of  Christ  as  Christ  is  the  immediate  channel,  for  Christ 
is  the  typical  manifestation  of  the  Spirit's  presence  and  power  in 
human  personality,  and  becomes  the  cause  in  his  work  of  the 
communication  of  the  Spirit  to  man.  The  interchangeable  use  of 
the  phrases  '  Spirit  of  God'  and  'Spirit  of  Christ'  indicates  the 
unity-in-difiference  of  the  godhead. 

10.  the  "body  is  dead.  In  what  sense  ?  (i)  Christ,  having 
died  for  us  on  the  cross,  our  bodies  are  reckoned  as  having  been 
put  to  death,  as  having  borne  the  penalty  of  sin.  (2)  As  occasions 
and  instruments  of  sin  our  bodies  are  dead  to  us  ;  we  employ 
them  no  more  for  the  ends  of  sin.  (3)  Our  bodies  bear  in  them 
the  sentence  of  mortality ;  they  are  destined  for  and  doomed  to 
death  as  a  penalty  for  sin.  This  third  sense  is  simplest,  and  suits 
the  context  best. 

the  spirit  is  life  because  of  rig'hteousuess.  The  human 
spirit  by  the  indwelling  and  inworking  of  the  Divine  Spirit  is 
not  only  assured  of  immortality,  but  already  gives  evidence  of 
that  life  which  cannot  but  be  immortal,  because  akin  to,  and 
of  worth  for,  God.  The  reason  for  tliis  certainty  of  life  is 
'righteousness,'  taken  in  the  widest  possible  sense  as  including 
both  justification  and  sanctification.  Him  whom  God  has  for- 
given and  is  making  holy  He  will  not  suffer  to  perish,  but  will 
preserve  in  life. 

11.  him  that  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead.  The  resur- 
rection of  Christ  is  the  pledge  and  pattern  of  the  believer's 
resurrection.  Christ  is  the  firstfruits  (i  Cor,  xv.  20-23),  a^i^ 
it  is  by  the  same  power  as  raised  him  that  behevers  will  be 
raised  (i  Cor.  vi.  14  ;  2  Cor.  iv.  14  ;  Phil.  iii.  21  ;  i  Thess.  iv.  14). 
Those  who  now  share  his  life  in  the  Spirit  will  once  share  his 
resurrection. 

throug'h  his  Spirit:  or,  <  because  of  his  Spirit.'  In  the  one 
case  the  Spirit  is  the  power  by  means  of  which  the  dead  are 
raised ;  in  the  other,  the  reason  of  their  being  raised.  The 
two  senses  are  not  contradictory,  but  harmonious.  The  Spirit 
sustains  the  higher  life  of  the  believer  now,  because  of  that  life 
he  expects  the  resurrection.     But  may  we  not  assume  that  the 


I90  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  12-14 

13      So  then,  brethren,  we  are  debtors,  not  to  the  flesh,  to 

13  Hve  after  the  flesh  :  for  if  ye  hve  after  the  flesh,  ye  must 
die;  but  if  by  the  spirit  ye  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  body, 

14  ye  shall  Hve.     For  as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of 


same  Spirit  who  sustains  the  Hfe  will  not  only  continue  to  sustain 
it  through  death,  but  will  also  be  the  agent  of  the  Divine  working 
for  the  completion  of  that  life  in  the  resurrection  ?  For  the 
Spirit  is  represented  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament  alike  as 
the  spirit  of  power  as  well  as  of  holiness,  the  spirit  of  miraculous 
endowments  as  well  as  sanctifying  influences. 

(ii)  viii,  12-17.  The  believer  as  son  and  heir.  From  this  contrast 
in  the  consequences  of  life  in  the  flesh  and  life  in  the  Spirit 
Paul  first  of  all  draws  a  practical  inference — the  duty  of  the 
believer  to  shun  the  former  and  seek  the  latter  life.  In  ofTering 
an  additional  reason  for  this  exhortation  he  passes  on  to  present 
another  aspect  of  the  Christian  life,  the  filial  relation  to  God 
which  the  believer  possesses  ;  and  this  truth  again  suggests  a 
return  of  thought  to  the  Christian  hope,  represented  as  an 
awaited  inheritance.  Although  the  exhortation  of  verses  12 
and  13  attaches  itself  closely  to  the  preceding  verses,  yet  as 
the  following  verses  14  to  17  give  an  additional  reason  for  it, 
although  introducing  a  new  topic,  the  paragraph  division  in  the 
R.  V.  is  correct,  (a)  The  hope  of  resurrection  in  Christ  enforces 
the  duty  of  abandoning  the  lower  life  and  cherishing  the  higher, 
as  indulgence  of  the  sinful  nature  cannot  but  end  in  death,  while 
resistance  to  its  temptations  in  the  cultivation  of  the  spiritual 
capacities  leads  to  life  (12,  13).  {b)  This  must  necessarily  be 
the  result,  as  submission  to  tlie  Spirit  establishes  and  maintains 
the  filial  relation  of  the  believer  to  God,  and  the  Spirit  Himself 
affords  the  evidence  of  the  reality  of  this  relation  by  communicating 
an  assured  consciousness  of  it  (14,  15).  (c)  This  consciousness, 
which  is  being  ever  confirmed  by  the  Spirit,  includes  the  expecta- 
tion of  an  inheritance  of  glory,  to  be  shared  with  Christ  even  as 
his  sufferings  have  been  shared  (16,  17). 

12.  debtors.     Moral  obligation  is  represented  as  a  debt  (i.  14). 

13.  mortify:  so  restrain  and  repress  as  to  reduce  to  impotence 
the  impulses  and  appetites  which  result  in  evil  deeds. 

deeds:  Gr.  'doings';  practices,  dealings. 

14.  led  "by  the  Spirit.  While  the  Spirit  dwells  and  works 
in  the  spiritual  man  ;  yet  such  a  phrase  as  this  shews  that  the 
Apostle  clearly  distinguishes  the  human  from  the  Divine  Spirit; 
there  is  immanence,  but  not  identity  ;  the  operations  of  the  Spirit 
demand  the  voluntary  co-operation  of  man. 


TO  THE  ROMANS,  8.  15,  16  191 

God,  these  are  sons  of  God.     For  ye  received  not  the  15 
spirit  of  bondage  again  unto  fear;  but  ye  received  the 
spirit  of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  Abba,  Father.     The  16 

sons  of  God.  The  phrase  means  that  those  who  are  led 
by  the  Spirit  have  not  merely  such  a  relationship  to  God  as 
children  have  to  their  parents  (this  natural  relationship  is  suggested 
by  the  term  'children'),  but  enjoy  the  full  status,  with  all  the 
privileges  and  benefits  which  it  confers,  of  those  who  have  attained 
their  majority.  In  Gal.  iii.  24-26  the  position  of  believers  as  sons 
of  God  is  contrasted  with  their  condition  under  the  law  as  a  tutor. 
Again  in  iv.  1-7  the  condition  of  the  child,  though  heir  yet  under 
guardians  and  stewards,  is  contrasted  with  his  position  as  a  son 
who  has  reached  'the  term  appointed  by  the  father'  for  his  'coming 
of  age.'  Paul  does  not  expressly  deny,  neither  does  he  explicitly 
affirm,  the  universal  fatherhood  of  God.  Whether  man  has  a 
natural  relationship  to  God  as  son,  he  does  not  inquire.  What 
alone  concerns  him  is  the  actual  condition  of  men  in  relation  to 
God ;  and  he  recognizes  that  men,  as  sinners,  are  so  estranged 
from,  suspicious  of,  and  opposed  to,  God,  that  they  cannot  in  the 
full  moral  and  religious  sense  be  described  as  sons.  Only  the 
reconciled  and  regenerate  are  fulfilling  the  obligations,  and  so 
enjoj'ing  the  privileges  of  sons. 

15.  received :  at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  career,  when 
justified  and  reconciled. 

the  spirit :  not  either  the  human  or  the  Divine  Spirit,  but 
a  more  general  use  of  the  term  to  express  a  mood,  habit,  or  state 
of  feeling. 

"bondag-s :  a  servile  temper,  a  slavish  disposition. 

ag-ain  unto  fear :  so  as  to  fall  back  again  from  the  joy  and 
trust  of  conversion  into  the  dread  felt  by  the  sinner  conscious  of 
God's  wrath. 

the  spirit  of  bondagfe  signifies  a  permanent  disposition  ; 
fear,  a  temporary  emotion,  which  is  its  results  and  manifestation 
(see  ii.  8). 

adoption:  lit.  'placing  as  son.'  The  Jews  had  no  such 
practice,  but  the  Greeks  and  Romans  had.  A  man  might  by  this 
legal  process  be  taken  into  a  family  with  which  he  had  no  natural 
relationship,  might  possess  all  the  rights  and  be  invested  with  all 
the  duties  of  a  born  son.  Paul  does  not  mean  expressly  to  deny 
man's  natural  relationship,  and  to  substitute  for  it  a  legal.  He 
uses  this  change  of  legal  relationship  as  an  illustration  of  the 
contrast  between  the  sinner's  and  the  believer's  consciousness  in 
relation  to  God. 

Abba,  Father.  The  first  word  is  Aramaic,  the  language  spoken 
by  Jews  in  Palestine ;  the  second  is  Greek,  a  language  also  under- 


192  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  17 

Spirit  himself  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we  are 
17  children  of  God:  and  if  children,  then  heirs;  heirs  of 
God,  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ ;  if  so  be  that  we  suffer 
with  hi7n^  that  we  may  be  also  glorified  with  him. 

stood  and  spoken  by  many  Palestinian  Jews.  We  find  the  same 
repetition  in  Mark  xiv.  36,  '  Abba,  Father,  all  things  are  possible 
unto  thee,'  and  in  Gal.  iv.  6.  As  Jesus  spoke  both  languages  it  is 
very  probable  that  it  was  his  habit  in  prayer  to  use  both  words, 
and  that  some  of  his  disciples  took  the  habit  from  him.  When  it 
reached  Paul,  he  handed  it  to  his  converts. 

16.  beareth  witness  with.  In  ii.  15  conscience  is  represented 
as  bearing  witness  with  the  work  of  the  law  ;  in  ix.  2  conscience 
is  described  as  bearing  witness  with  Paul  himself  in  the  Spirit. 
Here  the  spirit  of  adoption  is  analysed  into  two  co-operant  factors, 
the  Divine  and  the  human  spirit.  But  another  explanation  has 
been  suggested.  The  term  '  Abba,  Father  '  may  have  been  used  in 
public  worship  in  the  church,  in  which  the  Spirit  has  His  distinctive 
sphere  and  organ  ;  thus  the  individual  consciousness  of  sonship 
may  have  been  confirmed  by  the  corporate  consciousness  as  ex- 
pressed in  the  forms  of  worship.  The  first  explanation  is,  however, 
quite  in  accord  with  Paul's  psychological  method ;  and  for  the 
second  the  context  does  not  afford  any  basis,  for  there  is  nothing 
said  about  the  church.  In  such  an  explanation  the  '  churchly ' 
mind  is  reading  itself  back  into  the  thoughts  of  the  Apostle. 

children.  The  term  suggests  affection,  intimacy,  depen- 
dence. 

17.  heirs.  The  idea  of  an  inheritance  is  derived  from  theO.  T. 
The  term  refers  first  of  all  to  the  simple  possession  of  the  Holy 
Land  (Num.  xxvi.  56) ;  it^  signifies  next  the  permanent  and 
assured  possession  (Ps.  xxv.  13);  it  is  then  specialized  to  mean 
Messiah's  deliverance  of  the  land,  and  his  settlement  of  the  people 
in  it  (Isa.  Ix.  21)  ;  once  more  it  is  generalized  to  express  all  the 
Messianic  blessings  (Matt.  v.  5).  Christ,  in  the  Parable  of  the 
Wicked  Husbandmen,  calls  himself  the  heir  (Matt.  xxi.  38),  and 
so  to  him  may  be  due  the  N.  T.  use  of  the  term  (cf.  iv.  14 ;  Gal, 
iii.  29,  iv.  7).  The  child  of  God  has  not  yet  entered  into  the  full 
possession  of  all  his  powers  and  blessings,  and  therefore  he  still 
waits  his  inheritance  (cf.  i  John  iii.  1-3). 

suffer  with  him.  Paul  here  seems  to  be  recalling  to  his 
readers  a  common  Christian  saying;  for  in  2  Tim.  ii.  11-13  the 
words  '  If  we  died  with  him,  we  shall  also  live  with  him  ;  if  we 
endure,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him  '  are  described  thus  :  Faithful 
is  the  saying.'  Christ's  life  is  typical.  As  he  went,  so  all  his 
followers  must  go,  through  pain  to  peace,  through  suffering  to 
glory.     (Matt.  xx.  2a,  23;  2  Cor.  i.  5;  Phil.  iii.  10;  Col.  i.  24.) 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  i8  193 

For  I  reckon  that  the  sufferings  of  this  present  time  are 

(iii)  viii.  18-25.  Nature  sharing  man's  hope.  The  Christian  not 
only  hopes  in  spite  of  his  sorrows,  but  can  see  in  his  endurance 
of  these  sorrows  a  means  of  the  fulfilment  of  his  hope.  His 
affliction  is  not  solitary,  but  extends  to  the  whole  present  order 
of  existence.  Can  he  use  his  experience  in  the  interpretation  of 
the  universe  ?  Can  he  give  to  creation  generally  a  place  in  his 
expectations,  even  as  it  has  a  share  in  his  afflictions  ?  Paul 
answers  this  question  in  the  affii-mative.  He  does  not  merely 
ascribe  to  nature  sympathy  with  the  moods  of  man,  as  the  poets 
have  so  often  done.  He  attributes  to  nature  a  consciousness  of, 
and  a  dissatisfaction  with,  its  present  imperfection— a  desire  for, 
and  an  expectation  of,  its  completion.  He  includes  nature  in 
man's  grievous  disaster,  but  also  in  his  glorious  destiny.  As  by 
the  sin  he  has  committed  he  has  brought  misery,  so  by  the  grace 
he  will  receive  he  will  impart  blessing.  This  cosmic  speculation 
cannot  be  fully  discussed.  There  may  be  difficulty  in  accepting 
Paul's  account  of  the  origin  of  physical  evil  as  altogether  due  to 
man's  sin.  There  can,  however,  be  no  doubt  that  man  has  a  vital, 
organic  relation  to  his  environment.  The  evolution  of  the  world 
and  the  development  of  humanity  are  not  independent  but  con- 
nected processes.  If  we  are  warranted  in  believing  in  the 
progress  of  the  race,  we  are  justified  in  hoping  for  a  corre- 
spondent and  consequent  transformation  of  the  universe.  For  the 
perfect  man  we  may  expect  the  perfect  home.  If  we  may  under- 
stand the  scientific  doctrine  of  '  the  survival  of  the  fittest '  in  '  the 
struggle  for  existence  *  as  meaning  that  progress  is  through  pain, 
then  Paul's  spiritual  intuition  offers  some  analogy  to  the  con- 
clusion of  science  ;  even  as  in  i  Cor.  xv.  46-49  he  anticipates  in 
some  measure  the  results  of  recent  research.  We  are  justified 
in  studying  this  passage  as  not  a  flight  of  fancy,  but  as  displaying 
both  insight  into  the  world's  course  and  foresight  of  its  goal. 

(rt)  There  can  be  no  comparison,  Paul  declares,  between  the 
present  ill  and  the  future  good,  for  the  hope  of  it  possesses  even 
the  whole  creation,  amid  all  the  pain  which  man's  sin  has  brought 
upon  it,  and  transforms  this  pain  from  a  death-throe  to  a  birth- 
pang  (18-21).  [b)  Believers  can  discern  in  nature  an  incomplete- 
ness and  dissatisfaction,  such  as  they  themselves  experience, 
because  although  they  already  possess  in  their  own  spiritual  life 
the  pledge  of  their  own  coming  good,  yet  they  ardently  desire 
that  complete  deliverance  which  includes  even  their  bodies  (22, 
23).  (c)  As  all  that  is  involved  in  the  Christian  salvation  is  not 
immediately  realized,  hope  has  a  place  to  fill  in  Christian  life 
from  its  beginning,  and  if  it  plays  its  part,  endurance  and  expecta- 
tion will  both  be  characteristic  of  the  believer  (24,  25). 

18.  I  reckon :  I  count  up,  make  an  estimate,  strike  a  balance. 


194  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  19 

not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be 

[9  revealed  to  us-ward.     For  the  earnest  expectation  of  the 

creation  waiteth  for  the  revealing  of  the  sons  of  God. 

Paul  has  been  speaking  of  the  Christian's  inheritance  of  glory,  but 
he  remembers  that  for  the  believer  as  for  Christ  the  path  to 
glory  is  through  pain,  and  so  he  turns  aside  in  this  passage  to 
shew  :  (i)  that  the  glory  far  exceeds  the  pain  ;  (2)  that  the  pain  is 
shared  by  all  creation  ;  (3)  that  even  the  pain  in  creation  is  a 
pledge  of  the  glory  ;  and  (4)  that  the  believer's  sufierings  are 
largely  due  to  his  sense  of  the  contrast  between  what  he  now  is, 
and  what  he  is  sure  he  will  yet  be.  If  he  has  comfort  and  relief 
as  regards  some  of  the  sufferings  he  shares  with  others,  he  has 
sorrows  all  his  own,  a  keener  sense  of  sin,  a  deeper  sympathy 
with  others,  the  pain  of  unrealized  possibilities  and  unsatisfied 
aspirations. 

the  suffering's  of  this  present  time.  What  these  were  for 
Paul  we  may  learn  from  Acts  xix.  23-41,  xx.  18-35  >  2  Cor.  i.  3-1 1, 
vi.  4-10,  xi.  23-33. 

glory :  the  manifestation  of  Christ  in  his  perfection,  which 
will  be  communicated  to  believers,  who  shall  be  like  him  when 
they  shall  see  him  as  he  is  (i  John  iii.  2),  and  who  shall  reflect 
him  as  a  mirror,  and  so  be  changed  into  the  same  likeness  (2  Cor. 
iii.  1 8). 

19.  earnest  expectation.  The  Greek  word  is  pregnant  with 
meaning.  It  may  be  thus  expanded,  'waiting  with  head  out- 
stretched and  turned  away  from  all  else,'  like  the  runner  whose 
eye  is  fixed  on  the  goal. 

creation.  This  includes  not  only  man,  but  nature  also.  Paul 
undoubtedly  believed  that  as  nature  had  shared  in  the  curse  of 
man's  fall  (Gen.  iii.  17,  18),  so  nature  too  would  share  in  the 
blessings  of  his  recovery.  This  was  the  common  belief  of  his 
age,  finding  abundant  and  often  very  fantastic  expression  in  con- 
temporary Apocalyptic  literature.  One  illustration  from  the  Book 
of  Enoch  must  suffice :  *  In  those  days  will  the  mountains  leap  like 
rams  and  the  hills  will  skip  like  lambs  satisfied  with  milk,  and 
they  will  all  become  angels  in  heaven.  Their  faces  will  be  lighted 
up  with  joy,  because  in  those  days  the  Elect  One  has  appeared, 
and  the  earth  will  rejoice,  and  the  righteous  will  dwell  upon  it, 
and  the  elect  will  go  to  and  fro  upon  it.'  The  belief  rested  on 
O.  T.  prophecy,  although  in  the  popular  expectations  the  hope  of 
the  prophets  was  literalized,  materialized,  secularized.  Isa.  Ixv. 
17-25  promises  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  length  of  days  to 
man,  secure  possession  of  the  land,  abundant  fertility  of  the  soil, 
and  peace  among  the  wild  beasts  of  the  earth.  As  compared  with 
contemporary  Jewish  thought  Paul  displays  here  much  greater 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  20,  21  195 

For  the  creation  was  subjected  to  vanity,  not  of  its  own  20 
will,  but  by  reason  of  him  who  subjected  it,  in  hope  that  21 
the  creation   itself   also   shall   be    delivered    from    the 


sympathy  with  nature  in  its  discord  and  incompleteness,  and 
much  wider  charity  to  mankind,  as  he  claims  no  superiority  for 
Israel  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

waiteth :  another  word  of  pregnant  meaning,  ^waiteth  with 
attention,  withdrawn  from  all  else.' 

the  revealing"  of  the  sons  of  God:  the  manifestation  of 
Christ  and  his  attendant  hosts  of  the  redeemed  in  their  glory  at 
his  Second  Advent  (i  Cor.  xv.  51-53 ;  i  Thess.  iv.  16,  17). 

20.  was  subjected  :  by  the  Divine  sentence  (Gen.  iii.  17-19)  as 
a  penalty  for  man's  fall. 

vanity  :  that  which  misses  its  aim,  fails  in  its  effort,  dis- 
appoints expectations.  Ecclesiastes  is  a  commentary  on  this 
one  word.  The  present  world  never  reaches  its  appointed 
perfection,  and  so  always  disappoints  justified  expectations. 

not  of  its  own  will.  Nature  was  altogether  blameless,  the 
fault  was  wholly  man's. 

by  reason  of  him  who  subjected  it.  Although  the  agency 
of  Satan  in  tempting  man  is  affirmed  in  the  Scriptures,  yet  this 
does  not  justify  the  assumption  made  by  some  commentators  that 
the  devil  is  here  referred  to,  for  it  would  be  ascribing  to  him 
a  power  over  nature  which  no  Scripture  statement  warrants. 
Although  it  seems  easiest  in  view  of  the  context  to  suppose 
that  God  is  referred  to,  yet  the  grammatical  construction  adopted 
is  not  the  natural  one,  if  that  was  the  intention.  Why  did  Paul 
not  say  simply  *  by  him  who  subjected  it '  ?  Accordingly  there  is 
some  probability  in  the  suggestion  that  either  Adam  or  man 
generally  is  referred  to.  Adam's  or  man's  sin  was  the  occasion 
or  reason  for  the  subjection  of  nature  to  vanity,  and,  therefore,  the 
responsibility  for  it  may  be  assigned  to  him, 

21.  in  hope.  Is  the  hope  to  be  assigned  to  him  who  subjects, 
or  to  that  which  is  subjected  1  If  God  is  referred  to  in  the  previous 
clause  '  purpose'  would  be  a  more  appropriate  term  to  apply  to  him 
than  *  hope.'  If  Adam  or  man  is  referred  to,  then  the  meaning  is 
that,  although  he  saw  the  ruin  in  the  fall,  yet  the  Divine  promise 
at  once  awakened  his  hope.  But  the  phrase  probably  does  not 
refer  to  the  motive  of  the  actor,  but  to  an  accompaniment  of  the 
action.  The  subjection  to  vanity  was  accompanied  by  an  awakening 
of  hope  in  the  creation,  as  a  relief  and  comfort  amid  its  pain  and 
loss. 

that.  What  follows  defines  the  content  of  the  hope  ;  but 
'  because '  is  an  equally  justifiable  rendering,  and  then  the  following 

O   2 


196  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  22-24 

bondage  of  corruption  into  the  liberty  of  the  glory  of  the 

22  children  of  God.     For  we  know  that  the  whole  creation 

23  groaneth  and  travaileth  in  pain  together  until  now.  And 
not  only  so,  but  ourselves  also,  which  have  the  firstfruits 
of  the  Spirit,  even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves, 
waiting  for  oitr  adoption,  to  wit^  the  redemption  of  our 

24  body.    For  by  hope  were  we  saved:  but  hope  that  is  seen 

words  would  give  the  reason  for  the  hope  ;  the  sense  in  the  end 
is  the  same. 

"bondagre  of  corruption.  Nature's  decay  and  dissolution 
limits  and  hinders  the  free  and  full  development  of  all  its  possi- 
bilities ;  the  evil  in  the  world  prevents  good  that  might  be. 

the  liberty  of  the  glory.  In  the  perfect  state  man  will  have 
full  scope  and  free  exercise  for  all  his  powers. 

22.  we  know.  All  Paul's  readers  might  know,  although 
probably  all  did  not  know,  what  his  deeper  insight  and  wider 
sympathy  enabled  him  to  discern,  that  all  nature's  pains  were 
birth-pangs  ;  his  certainty  of  a  future  good  for  nature  rests  on 
his  discovery  of  a  present  expectation  in  nature. 

tog-ether :  in  all  its  parts  ;  better  than  '  with  us.' 

23.  Even  Christians  are  not  content  and  satisfied,  for  although 
they  have  a  pledge  not  given  to  the  rest  of  the  world,  they  are 
not  yet  in  full  possession  of  their  promised  good. 

firstfruits  of  the  Spirit.  Not  only  the  supernatural  gifts, 
which  were  characteristic  of  the  early  church,  are  meant,  but  also 
the  personal  tranformation  of  character  which  distinguished  the 
Christian  from  other  men. 

adoption.  At  justification  the  believer  is  adopted  as  a  son  of 
God,  this  process  is  continued  in  his  sanctification,  and  is 
completed  only  in  his  glorification.  Even  as  Christ  was  ordained 
Son  of  God  with  power  at  his  resurrection,  so  the  believer 
becomes  fully  son  only  in  glory. 

redemption  of  our  body.  As  man's  life  is  now  a  bondage  of 
corruption,  so  the  resurrection  maybe  represented  as  a  deliverance; 
the  word  '  redemption '  is  used  evidentlj'  without  any  stress  on  the 
conception  of  ransom,  but  only  on  the  idea  of  release  from 
bondage. 

24.  by  hope.  As  Paul  teaches  that  salvation  is  of  grace  through 
faith,  and  as  he  distinguishes  faith  and  hope,  it  is  not  likely  that  he 
would  represent  hope  as  the  means  of  salvation  ;  it  is  preferable, 
therefore,  to  render  *  in  hope.'  Faith  assures  us  of  our  salvation, 
but  as  this  salvation  will  be  completed  only  in  the  future  glory, 
hope  is  at  once  awakened  in  the  believer.     The  suggestion  '  for 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  25,  26  197 

is  not  hope:  for  who  hopeth  for  that  which  he  seeth?  But  25 
if  we  hope  for  that  which  we  see  not,  then  do  we  with 
patience  wait  for  it. 

And  in  like  manner  the  Spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmity:  26 
for  we  know  not  how  to  pray  as  we  ought ;  but  the  Spirit 

hope,'  as  though  the  meaning  were  that  we  are  saved  in  order  to 
hope,  is  less  satisfactory. 

but  hope  that  is  seen.  Here  the  meaning  of  the  word 
'  hope  *  changes  ;  it  is  not  the  subjective  feeling  that  is  meant,  which 
could  never  be  visible  ;  it  is  the  object  of  the  hope,  which  may  be 
manifest  when  realized. 

for  who  hopeth  for  that  which  he  seeth  ?  An  alternative 
reading  is,  'for  what  a  man  seeth,  why  doth  he  yet  hope  for?' 
The  first  reading  as  more  terse  is  to  be  preferred.  If  we  hope 
then  we  do  not  already  see  all  that  is  in  store  for  us.  The  absence 
of  hope  would  mean  that  the  future  held  no  higher  good  in  trust 
for  us. 

25.  patience:    courage  and  endurance  under  persecution. 

(iv)  viii.  26-30.  The  Spififs  inteixession  and  God's  purpose. 
A  confirmation  of  the  certainty  of  the  fulfilment  of  the  Christian 
hope  is  found  by  Paul  in  the  experience  of  the  believer,  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  Himself  is  operative  in  these  unsatisfied  aspirations, 
and  participates  in  the  prayers  in  which  they  are  expressed. 
But  if  God  by  His  own  Spirit  thus  commits  Himself  to  the 
believer's  expectations,  then  Paul  next  draws  the  conclusion,  that 
God's  purpose,  to  which  all  existences  must  serve  as  means,  does 
include  the  fulfilment  of  these  hopes.  The  work  God  has  already 
done  is  the  promise  and  pledge  that  He  will  complete  it.  These 
thoughts  are  developed  as  follows :  {a)  Although  the  believer 
does  not  know  how  to  give  expression  in  prayer  to  his  longings, 
the  Spirit,  as  sharing  these  longings,  praj's  for  him,  and  this 
prayer  is  both  fully  known  to  God  and  perfectly  in  accord  with 
the  will  of  God  (26,  27).  (6)  The  believer  who  is  conscious  of  being 
united  to  God  in  love  has  the  certainty  that  God  is  ordering  all 
things  for  his  good,  as  the  call  to  which  he  responded  in  faith 
brought  him  within  the  Divine  purpose,  which  is  realized  in  the 
following  stages — foreknowledge  and  foreordination  to  likeness  to 
Christ,  calling  and  pardon  now,  and  perfection  and  blessedness 
hereafter  (28,  30). 

26.  in  like  manner.  The  connexion  may  be  taken  in  two 
ways,  (i)  As  we  groan  in  ourselves,  so  the  Spirit  intercedes  for 
us  with  unutterable  groans.  (2)  As  hope  keeps  us  up,  so  does 
the   Spirit.      But   the   first    explanation    is    preferable,    for  the 


198  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  27 

himself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groanings  which 

27  cannot  be  uttered;  and  he  that  searcheth  the   hearts 

knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of  the  Spirit,  because  he 

repetition  of  the  words  '  groan '  and  '  groanings  '  is  a  sign  of  the 
connexion,  and  the  supports  given  by  hope  and  the  Spirit  are  not 
distinct.  That  we  are  saved  in  hope  has  its  evidence  not  only 
in  our  groans  of  expectancy,  but  also  in  the  yearnings  which  are 
too  deep  even  for  groans,  and  are  the  Spirit's  intercession  in  us, 
A  Divine  witness  agrees  with  a  human  witness  that  man  has  not 
yet  attained  his  destiny. 

helpeth :  taketh  hold  of  us  so  as  to  support  us  along  with 
what  we  can  do  to  support  ourselves.  So  pregnant  in  meaning 
can  Greek  compound  words  be  that  all  this  is  suggested  by  the 
one  word  rendered  'helpeth.' 

our  infirmity.  If  we  regard  the  connexion  with  the  pre- 
ceeding  verses  as  indicated  in  a  previous  note,  then  the  infirmity 
is  this,  that  'we  know  not  how  to  pray  as  we  ought.'  If, 
however,  the  view  of  the  connexion  there  rejected  is  accepted, 
then  infirmity  means  weakness  generally  in  trial  and  sorrow. 

how :  it  is  not  the  subject  of  prayer,  but  the  mode  of  it,  in 
which  the  infirmity  is  shewn. 

as  we  ought.  '  In  proportion  to  our  need '  is  the  rendering  of 
the  Greek  phrase  of  two  words  which  is  allowed  by  the  one,  but 
forbidden  by  the  other  of  the  two  words.  We  must  therefore 
accept  the  rendering  as  given  in  R.  V.  '  According  to  the  will  of 
God '  defines  the  proper  mode  of  the  prayer.  The  Spirit  does 
not  suggest  the  contents  of  our  prayers,  but,  as  we  are  guided 
by  the  Spirit,  brings  the  mode  of  our  prayer  into  conformity  with 
the  will  of  God. 

groanings  which  cannot  be  tittered.  Discontent  with  sin, 
or  aspiration  after  holiness,  may  by  its  very  intensity  fail  to  get 
adequate  utterance,  yet  in  it  God's  own  Spirit  is  pleading  with 
God  on  our  behalf.  There  may  be  acceptable  and  effective  prayer 
without  words.  Must  not  all  intense  desire  exceed  its  possible 
expression  ? 

27.  searcheth  the  hearts.      Compare  i   Sam.  xvi.   7 ;    Rev. 
ii.  23- 

mind.     See  note  on  verse  6. 

because.  Although  the  same  Greek  conjunction  may  be 
rendered  'because'  and  'that,'  and  in  some  cases  it  matters  very 
little  which  rendering  is  preferred,  yet  here  'that'  is  better  than 
'  because.'  We  need  no  reason  given  for  God's  knowledge  of  the 
mind  of  the  Spirit,  but  a  definition  of  that  mind  may  be  fitly 
added.  It  is  on  the  one  hand  according  to  the  will  of  God,  and 
on  the  other  it  is  for  the  realization  of  perfection  in  each  believer, 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  28  199 

maketh  intercession  for  the  saints  according  to  the  will 
of  God.     And  we  know  that  to  them  that  love  God  all  2\ 

for  it  is  as  destined  for  saintship  and  with  a  view  to  its  attainment 
that  the  Spirit  intercedes  for  him. 

intercession.  This  intercession  is  not,  so  far  at  least  as  the 
present  context  demands,  to  be  conceived  as  (to  use,  as  the  only 
terms  available,  words  quite  inadequate)  internal  to  the  Godhead, 
a  communication  between  Divine  Spirit  and  Divine  Father,  and 
external  to  human  consciousness  ;  but  it  is  in  the  groanings  that 
cannot  be  uttered,  in  the  wordless  longings  of  the  soul,  that  the 
Spirit  intercedes  ;  it  is  not  as  representing  us,  but  as  energizing 
in  us  that  the  Spirit  pleads.  He  is  the  Paraclete  (Comforter) 
with  us  (John  xiv.  i6),  while  Christ  is  the  Paraclete  (Advocate) 
with  the  Father  (i  John  ii.  i).  In  Hebrews  Christ  is  represented 
as  the  High  Priest  who  has  entered  heaven,  the  holiest  place, 
where  'he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession'  (vii.  25).  But  these 
distinctions  between  Spirit  as  intercessor  in  us  on  earth  and 
Son  as  intercessor  with  the  Father  in  heaven  must  not  be  unduly 
pressed.  The  one  omnipresent  God,  transcendent  yet  immanent, 
both  prays  in  us  and  answers  our  praj'ers  for  us. 

28.  And  we  know.  Paul  now  turns  to  another  ground  of 
confidence,  and  yet  it  is  suggested  by  what  immediately  precedes. 
The  spirit  intercedes  'according  to  God,'  rightly  expanded  'ac- 
cording to  the  will  of  God.'  Paul  therefore  shews  next  how 
that  will  controls  all  events  for  its  own  ends,  and  what  are  the 
stages  in  which  God  realizes  the  purpose  which  He  wills. 

all  thing's.  The  phrase  is  to  be  taken  in  the  widest  possible 
sense.     It  includes  everything  mentioned  in  verses  35,  38,  39. 

work  tog-ether.  Paul  here  anticipates  modern  scientific 
teaching  on  the  organic  unity,  mutual  dependence,  and  reciprocal 
action  of  all  things  in  the  universe.  Another  reading  which 
explains  the  statement  may  be  mentioned  :  '  God  worketh  all 
things,*  or  better,  '  God  causeth  all  things  to  work.' 

them  that  love  God  .  .  .  them  that  are  called.  Here  Paul 
presents  the  two  complementary  aspects  of  the  religious  life. 
There  is  the  human  side  of  the  relation,  'love,'  and  the  Divine 
side,  '  the  call.'  While  Paul  has  already  spoken  of  the  love  of 
God  to  us  (v.  5,  8),  and  in  this  chapter  again  speaks  (39^  he  has 
not  yet  mentioned  our  love  to  God,  and  this  is  the  only  mention 
in  Romans.  He  speaks  several  times  of  love  to  others  (xii. 
9,  10,  xiii.  8,  9).  He  has  mentioned  faith  again  and  again  ;  hope 
has  just  been  his  theme  ;  and  now  he  completes  the  trinity  of 
graces  by  mentioning  love.  It  has  been  noted  that  he  says  much 
more  about  faith  in  God  than  love  to  God  ;  but  in  laying  the 
foundation  doctrines  of  the  Christian  life,  faith  must  necessarily 


200  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  29 

things  work  together  for  good,  even  to  them  that  are 
29  called  according  to  his  purpose.     For  whom  he  foreknew, 

be  more  prominent,  and  faith  in  God  must  surely  be  accompanied 
by  love  to  God.  The  grace  which  faith  grasps  shews  and  gives 
the  love  of  God,  and  God's  love  must  needs  awake  in  man  its 
own  likeness,  man's  love,  which  cannot  be  directed  merely  out- 
ward to  his  fellows,  but  must  also  return  upward  to  the  Giver. 
The  Divine  side  in  the  relation  is  the  '  call,'  to  which  the  believer 
responds  ;  it  is  the  first  stage  in  the  realization  of  God's  purpose 
which  fails  within  time.  The  term  'called'  implies  that  the 
Divine  summons  has  been  obeyed. 

according'  to  his  purpose.  Cf.  Rom.  ix.  ii  ;  Eph.  i.  n,  iii.  11 ; 
2  Tim.  i.  9.  The  call  of  the  gospel  and  the  love  of  man  which 
grows  out  of  the  faith  that  answers  it  are  in  time,  but  before 
them  and  bej'ond  them  is  the  timeless  will  of  God,  which, 
however,  is  realized  in  time,  and  the  successive  stages  of  which 
are  now  sketched.  Here  we  are  brought  face  to  face  with  the 
problem  of  man's  freedom  and  God's  purpose,  which  no  theology 
has  fully  solved.  While  on  the  one  hand  God's  purpose  is 
realized  through  man's  freedom,  on  the  other  hand  man's  free- 
dom can  ever  be  subordinated  to  God's  purpose.  Here  we  are 
dealing  with  the  language  not  of  dogmatic  theology,  but  of  religious 
experience  ;  it  does  not  solve  problems  for  our  knowledge,  but 
expresses  certainties  for  our  faith. 

29.  foreknew.  There  are  three  possible  interpretations : 
(i)  We  may  allow  ourselves  to  be  solely  guided  by  the  Biblical 
usage  of  the  word  'know'  (Pss.  i.  6,  cxliv.  3;  Hos.  xiii.  5; 
Amos  iii.  2;  Matt.  vii.  23)  in  the  sense  of  'take  note  of,'  'fix 
regard  on,'  with  a  suggestion  of  a  further  purpose,  generally  of 
favour  or  blessing.  If  'know'  means  this,  then  'foreknow' 
means  that  in  His  eternal  counsel  God  looked  favourably  on  and 
marked  out  for  blessing  those  who  are  included  in  His  purpose. 
(2)  We  may  define  the  content  of  the  foreknowledge  from  the 
context :  either  he  '  foreknew '  as  '  them  that  love  God,'  or  as 
'  those  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his  son.*  (3)  We  may 
finally  give  a  dogmatic  interpretation  as  from  the  standpoint  of 
Calvinism,  'whom  He  foreknew  as  the  elect  in  contrast  to  the 
reprobate,'  or  from  a  standpoint  which  seeks  to  reconcile  Divine 
election  and  human  freedom,  '  whom  He  foreknew  as  those  who 
would  believe.'  The  third  way  of  explaining  the  word  brings 
in  considerations  that  are  not  in  the  passage  itself.  The  second 
way,  while  it  introduces  nothing  foreign  to  the  context,  yet  does 
not  recognize  the  distinctive  sense  attached  in  the  Scriptures 
to  the  word  *  know.'  The  first  way  not  only  recognizes  this 
distinctive  sense,  but  is  also  appropriate  to  the  context.  God's 
favourable  regard  is  the  starting-point  of  the  whole  process. 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  30,  31  201 

he  also  foreordained  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his 
Son,  that  he  might  be  the  firstborn  among  many  brethren : 
and  whom  he  foreordained,  them  he  also  called :   and  30 
whom  he  called,  them  he  also  justified :  and  whom  he 
justified,  them  he  also  glorified. 

What  then  shall  we  say  to  these  things  ?    If  God  is  for  31 

foreordained.  Divine  will  follows  Divine  knowledge ;  but 
we  must  beware  of  regarding  Divine  will  as  a  metaphysical 
necessity  which  excludes  human  liberty.  God's  purpose  must 
be  carried  out,  and  can  be  thwarted,  by  man's  freedom.  It  must 
also  be  observed  that  what  God  foreordains  is  the  sanctification 
and  glorification  of  those  whom  He  favourably  regards.  This, 
and  not  any  other  good,  is  what  he  intends  for  them. 

conformed.  This  means  not  outward  resemblance  merely, 
but  essential  similarity. 

iinag'e.  This  includes  the  glorified  body  as  well  as  the 
perfect  spirit  of  the  Son,  who  himself  is  the  image,  the  visible 
manifestation  of  the  invisible  God  (i  Cor.  xv.  49  ;  2  Cor.  iii.  18, 
iv.  4 ;  Col.  i.  15). 

that  lie  might  he  the  firstborn  among  many  brethren. 
That  God  may  be  all  in  all  (i  Cor.  xv.  28)  is  the  ultimate  purpose, 
but  this  purpose  is  realized  in  a  family  (Heb.  ii.  ii)  in  which  the 
image  of  God — the  manifestation  of  the  Divine  perfection — is 
communicated  to  many  through  One,  in  whom  it  appeared  first 
of  all  not  as  an  exclusive  right,  but  as  a  communicative  grace. 
Prior  to  Incarnation,  Christ  is  'the  image  of  the  invisible  God' 
(Col.  i.  15),  and  '  the  firstborn  of  all  creation.'  Subsequent  to 
his  resurrection,  he  is  '  the  firstborn  from  the  dead ;  that  in  all 
things  he  might  have  the  pre-eminence'  (18).  Here  the  reference 
is  to  the  latter  relation. 

30.  glorified.  Although  glorification  is  still  future,  the  past 
tense  is  used,  for  in  God's  counsel  the  whole  process  stands 
complete  (Eph,  ii.  4-6).  Sanctification  is  not  mentioned,  although 
it  is  not  excluded,  but  is  implied  in  glorification. 

(v)  viii.  31-39.  The  asswrance  of  faith.  Having  thus  established 
the  objective  fact  of  God's  purpose  concerning  the  believer,  Paul 
next  describes  the  subjective  feeling  of  certainty,  which  the  fact 
inspires  and  justifies.  In  this  passage  there  is  more  attention 
given  than  is  at  all  usual  with  Paul  to  the  rhetorical  form.  As 
the  comparison  between  Adam  and  Christ  closed  the  division  of 
the  Epistle  dealing  with  the  doctrine  of  sanctification,  so  this 
hymn  of  triumphant  faith  closes  Paul's  treatment  of  sanctification. 
(a)  Such  being  God's  purpose,  the  believer  has  nothing  to  fear. 


202  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  32,  33 

32  us,  who  is  against  us  ?    He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son, 
but  dehvered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  also 

33  with  him  freely  give  us  all  things  ?    Who  shall  lay  any- 


for  God  has  in  the  gift  of  His  Son  pledged  Himself  to  all  good 
that  the  believer  may  need  (31,  32).  (b)  No  man  can  find  any 
fault  with  God's  chosen  one,  whom  He  has  forgiven,  whom  Christ 
has  suffered  and  triumphed  to  bless  in  union  with  himself  (33-35*). 
(c)  Suffering  in  the  worst  forms  that  can  be  threatened  cannot 
sever  this  bond,  but  can  only  prove  Christ's  strength  still  more 
abundant  (35''-37).  id)  The  believer  is  confident  that  there  is 
no  kind  of  being  which  can  take  from  him  God's  love  in  Christ 
(38,  39)- 

32.  The  same  argument  is  expanded  in  v.  6-10.  God  having 
done  the  greater  may  be  confidently  expected  to  do  the  less. 

spared  not.  The  same  word  is  applied  to  Abraham's  sacrifice 
of  Isaac  (Gen.  xxii.  16).  Christ  draws  an  inference  from  God's 
fatherly  love  as  compared  with  man's  imperfect  affection  (Matt, 
vii.  II). 

33-35.  It  is  possible  to  take  the  construction  of  these  verses  in 
three  ways.  (i)  As  the  punctuation  of  the  R.  V.  indicates, 
*  Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ? '  is  a 
question  which  gets  two  answers  :  (i)  '  It  is  God  that  justifieth,' 
and  (ii)  '  It  is  Christ  Jesus  that  died,'  &c.  Each  of  these  answers 
has  a  subordinate  question  attached  to  it :  '  Who  is  he  that  shall 
condemn  ? '  belongs  to  answer  (i)  ;  and  '  Who  shall  separate  us 
from  the  love  of  Christ  ? '  to  answer  (ii).  This  dependence  might 
be  brought  out  by  changing  the  form  of  the  sentence.  Answer  (i), 
If  God  justifies,  who  will  condemn?  Answer  (ii).  If  Christ  died, 
who  can  separate?  The  passage  interpreted  in  this  way  may 
be  summed  up  in  a  few  words.  No  accusation  because  no 
condemnation  for  those  whom  God  has  justified  ;  and  no  separation 
for  those  for  whom  Christ's  work  has  been  done.  '  Shall  tribula- 
tion,' &c.,  in  verse  35  would  then  be  a  fresh  question  suggested 
by  the  preceding  answer,  and  would  be  answered  in  verse  37. 
(2)  As  the  punctuation  of  the  A.  V.  and  the  division  of  verses 
indicate,  we  may  regard  the  passage  as  consisting  of  tliree 
successive  co-ordinate  questions  w^ith  their  answers  :  (i)  Who 
accuses?  God  justifies,  (ii)  Who  condemns?  Christ  saves,  (iii) 
Who  separates  ?  Nothing  can.  (This  third  question  is  put  twice  : 
'Who  shall,'  &c.  ?  and  •  Shall  tribulation,'  &c.  ?)  The  passage  might 
be  summed  up  in  these  words  :  No  accusation,  no  condemnation, 
no  separation.  The  former  of  these  two  ways  is  better,  as  the 
second  and  third  questions  attach  themselves  to  the  preceding 
answers,   and  we   do  the  sense  some  violence  by  taking  them 


TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  34,  35  203 

thing  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ?     It  is  God  that 
justifieth;   who  is  he  that  shall  condemn?   It  is  Christ  34 
Jesus  that  died,  yea  rather,  that  was  raised  from  the  dead, 
who  is  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  inter- 
cession tor  us.     Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  35 
Christ?  shall  tribulation,  or  anguish,  or  persecution,  or 


apart.  (31  Still  a  third  interpretation  is  suggested  by  the  margin 
of  the  R.  V.  The  argument  then  assumes  the  form  of  a  redttctto  ad 
absurdum.  (i)  Who  shall  accuse?  Shall  God  who  justifieth? 
Never,  (ii)  Who  shall  condemn  ?  Shall  Christ  who  died?  Never, 
(iii)  Who  shall  separate?  Shall  tribulation,  &c.  ?  Never.  But 
the  first  construction  is  simplest  and  clearest. 

33.  elect.  Matt.  xxii.  14  distinguishes  the  called  and  the 
chosen  ;  but  Paul  regards  all  the  called  as  chosen  also,  for  he 
uses  the  term  '  called '  not  of  those  who  onl}'  hear  the  call,  but 
of  those  who  also  heed  it.  Their  choice,  however,  presupposes 
a  previous  choice  b}^  God,  but  of  this  Divine  election  we  l^now 
nothing  apart  from  human  obedience  to  the  Divine  summons. 
All  who  have  heeded  as  well  as  heard  the  call  are  God's  elect. 

34.  It  is  Christ,  &c.  The  connexion  with  the  preceding 
verse  is  this  :  On  what  ground  has  God  justified  ?  The  answer 
is,  Because  of  what  Christ  has  done  and  is  doing.  Crucifixion, 
Resurrection,  Ascension,  Intercession-rthese  are  the  outstanding 
features  of  Christ's  work.  The  Spil^J/uitercedes  as  well  as  Christ 
(see  note  on  'intercession,'  verse  27).  We  must  not  suppose 
the  Father  unwilling  to  hear  and  answer  and  needing  persuasion, 
but  the  intercession,  even  as  the  propitiation  by  the  Son,  is 
included  in  the  Father's  own  reconciliation  of  the  world  unto 
Himself.  It  is  difficult  for  us  to  conceive  the  mode  or  the  purpose 
of  this  intercession.  But  as  human  intercession  sometimes 
confirms  human  petition,  so  Christ  is,  for  the  encouragement 
of  our  faith,  represented  as  taking  up  our  feeble  petition  into  his 
mighty  intercession.  '  His  greatness  flows  around  our  incomplete- 
ness, round  our  restlessness  His  rest.' 

35.  of  Christ :  or,  '  of  God.'  If  verse  35  is  connected  with 
verse  34,  the  former  is  more  suitable,  as  it  is  Christ's  love  which 
is  expressed  and  exercised  in  his  work  for  us,  and  God's  love 
through  his. 

trihulation  (see  v.  3),  angfuish  (ii.  9),  persecution  (2  Cor. 
xi.  23-32,  xii.  10),  famine,  nakedness  (i  Cor.  iv.  11 ;  2  Cor.  xi. 
27^,  peril  (i  Cor.  xv.  30;  2  Cor.  xi.  26),  sword  (Acts  xii.  2; 
Rom.  xvi.  4).  This  statement  of  possible  evils  is  not  fancy, 
but  fact. 


204  TO  THE  ROMANS  8.  36-39 

36  famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword?    Even  as  it  is 
written, 

For  thy  sake  we  are  killed  all  the  day  long ; 
We  were  accounted  as  sheep  for  the  slaughter. 

37  Nay,  in  all  these  things  we  are  more  than  conquerors 
3^  through  him  that  loved  us.     For  I  am  persuaded,  that 

neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor 
39  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  powers,  nor  height, 

36.  This  is  an  exact  quotation  from  Ps.  xliv.  22,  which  is  not 
^  a  mere  illustration,  but  a  real  argument,  for  from  Paul's  standpoint 
affliction  prophesied  is  affliction  justified. 

all  tlie  day.     Cf.  i  Cor.  xv.  31,  '  I  die  daily.' 
>      37.  more  than  conquerors.     Paul  is  fond  of  laying  stress  on 
the  excess  of  God's  bounty  over  man's  need  (v.  20). 

tliroug-h  hixn  that  loved  us.  It  is  the  apprehension,  appre- 
ciation, and  appropriation  of  the  love  of  Christ  as  exercised  and 
expressed  in  his  work  that  imparts  vigour  to,  and  secures  victory 
for,  the  believer. 

38-39.  As  verse  35  deals  with  present  experienced  evils,  so 
these  two  verses  deal  with  future  possible  dangers. 

33.  I  am  persuaded.     Paul's  individual  conviction  is  appealed 
^"^to  to  confirm  the  common  Christian  assurance. 

death,  nor  life :  the  changes  in  man's  lot.  If  we  are  to  lay 
stress  on  the  order,  then  'life'  must  mean  not  the  present  but 
the  future  life,  unknown,  unproved.  If  Paul  thought  of  the 
common  belief  that  death  puts  man  more  fully  under  the  power 
of  spirits  in  the  life  beyond,  then  the  next  reference  becomes 
more  intelligible. 

ang-els, . . .  principalities, . . .  powers.  Although  according  to 
the  best  reading  the  word  '  powers '  is  separated  from  the  other 
two,  yet  it  must  be  explained  along  with  them.  'Angels,'  ///. 
*  messengers,'  is  the  most  general  term  applied  to  these  spiritual 
beings.  According  to  the  common  belief  they  were  arranged 
in  various  orders,  differing  in  dignity,  function,  and  powers. 
'Principalities'  and  'powers'  are  two  of  the  titles  given  to 
angels,  Paul  adopts  the  popular  conception  and  terminology 
(i  Cor.  XV.  24  ;  Eph.  i.  21,  iii.  10,  vi.  12  ;  Col.  i.  16,  ii.  10).  He 
protests  against  the  worshipping  of  angels  (Col.  ii.  18),  and 
asserts  their  creation  through  and  unto  Christ  (i.  16),  their 
inclusion  in  his  atonement  (i.  20),  their  defeat  in  his  death 
(ii.  1$),  their  subjection  to  his  dominion  (i  Cor.  xv.  24  ;  Eph.  i. 
10).  As  his  references  are  mostly  directed  against  a  doctrine 
and   worship   of  angels  which  disputed  the  absolute  supremacy 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  r  205 

nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to 
separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord. 

I  say  the  truth  in  Christ,  I  lie  not,  my  conscience  9 


and  perfect  sufficiency  of  Christ,  his  tone  is  more  or  less  hostile. 
He  speaks  much  of  the  conflict  to  be  waged  against  evil  angels 
(Eph.  vi.  12).  In  this  speculation,  which  Paul  tacitly  accepts 
without  definitely  approving,  and  which  he  uses  rhetorically  and 
controversially,  we  have  no  essential  part  of  his  Christian  faith, 
but  an  unimportant  survival  of  his  Jewish  training. 

tiling's  present,  . . .  thing's  to  come.  By  this  Paul  does  not 
mean  abstractly  successions  of  time,  but  concretely  the  present 
age  before  the  Second  Advent,  and  the  future  age  subsequent 
to  it;  that  is,  the  whole  course  of  human  history.  Jewish  theology 
thus  recognized  two  periods,  one  before  and  one  after  the  Messiah's 
coming. 

39.  height,  nor  depth.  Although  Paul  does  objectify  abstrac- 
tions (2  Cor.  X.  5,  'every  high  thing';  Eph.  iii.  18,  'the  breadth 
and  length  and  height  and  depth'),  yet  probably  the  words  here 
are  not  used  abstractly  for  dimensions  of  space,  but  concretely. 
The  '  height '  is  the  heavens  as  the  abode  of  evil  spirits  (Eph. 
vi.  12).  The  *  depth  '  is  the  abyss  of  darkness  and  death  (Eph.  iv. 
9 :  cf.  Rom.  x.  6,  7).  Christ  hath  both  descended  and  ascended, 
and  has  triumphed  in  the  depth  and  in  the  height. 

any  other  creature.  The  sense  is  not  any  other  created 
thing,  but  any  other  kind  of  creation,  differing  from  all  already 
enumerated. 

the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  liord. 
Christ  is  the  Son  of  God's  love  (Col.  i.  13),  and  the  love  of  Christ 
(2  Cor.  V.  14  ;  Eph.  iii.  19,  v.  25)  is  the  love  of  God,  which  is 
commended  in  Christ's  death  (v.  8),  and  is  shed  abroad  in  our 
hearts  through  the  Holy  Ghost  (v.  5). 

III.  The  Doctrine  of  Election,     ix— xi. 

The  gospel  which  Paul  preached  had  been  accepted  by  many 
Gentiles,  but  had  been  rejected  by  most  Jews;  this  might  seem 
a  serious  objection  against  it.  If  the  people  to  whom  the  promises 
were  given  had  not  welcomed  it,  surely  it  could  not  be  their 
fulfilment  as  it  claimed  to  be.  Or,  if  the  gospel  was  indeed  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promises,  had  not  God  failed  to  keep  His  word 
to  His  chosen  people,  whose  place  was  now  being  taken  by  the 
Gentiles?  If  God  were  faithful.  His  fulfilment  of  His  promises 
would  surely  be  of  such  a  kind  as  would  commend  it  to  those  who 
had  received  the  promises,  and  would  not,  as  Paul's  gospel  did, 


2o6  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  2 

2  bearing  witness  with  me  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  I  have 

arouse  their  antagonism.  But  if  God  Himself  allowed  His  people 
to  be  thus  offended  by  the  gospel,  His  character  seemed  com- 
promised. Paul  seeks  to  shew  in  this  third  division  of  his 
doctrinal  statement  both  that  his  gospel  is  true,  even  although 
the  Jewish  people  as  a  whole  has  rejected  it,  and  that  their 
rejection  does  not  involve  God's  unfaithfulness  to  His  promises. 
The  argument  consists  of  three  main  propositions  :  (i)  God  is 
absolutely  free  to  elect  or  reject  individuals  or  nations  according 
to  His  own  will  (ix.  1-29)  ;  (2)  the  Jewish  people,  by  its  unbelief, 
has  deserved  its  present  exclusion  from  the  blessings  of  the  gospel 
(ix.  30 — X.  21) ;  (3)  this  exclusion  is  partial  and  temporary,  as  it 
is  God's  purpose  ultimately  to  include  both  Jew  and  Gentile  in 
His  grace  (xi). 

(i)  ix.  1-29.     God's  absolute  freedom. 

(i)  The  Apostle  first  of  all  affirms  his  ardent  Jewish  patriotism, 
his  intense  sorrow  over  his  people's  unbelief,  and  his  profound 
sense  of  its  privileges  (1-5).  (ii)  Next,  he  proves  that  the  rejection 
of  Israel  does  not  involve  any  breach  of  Divine  promises,  as 
the  principle  of  God's  unconditional  election  has  been  affirmed 
throughout  the  history  of  the  chosen  people  ,6-13).  (iii)  Thirdly, 
he  vindicates  this  unconditional  election  against  the  charge  of 
injustice  by  proving  by  God's  own  words  His  claim  to  freedom  in 
all  His  actions  (14-18).  (iv)  Fourthly,  he  rebukes  any  attempt  on 
the  part  of  the  creature  to  question  the  action  of  the  Creator,  but 
shews  that  God  has  used  His  freedom  not  in  strict  justice,  but  in 
abundant  mercy  (19-29).  This  last  thought  prepares  us  for  passing 
to  his  second  proposition,  that  Israel's  doom  is  deserved. 

(i)  ix.  1-5.  The  Apostle's  patriotism,  {a)  Speaking  as  one  who 
in  his  relation  to  Christ  is  conscious  of  the  obligation  of  truthfulness, 
the  Apostle  affirms  his  intense  sorrow  on  account  of  Israel's  doom, 
and  his  willingness  to  endure  any  sacrifice,  however  great,  even 
exclusion  from  life  in  Christ,  if  that  were  possible,  to  benefit  his 
brethren  (1-3) ;  (6)  he  enumerates  the  many  privileges  granted 
by  God  to  His  people,  culminating  in  the  Incarnation  of  God  in 
one  of  Jewish  descent  (4,  5). 

1.  I  say  the  truth.  Paul's  opponents  had  gone  so  far  as  to 
charge  him  with  insincerity  and  falsehood,  and  had  represented 
him  as  an  enemy  of  his  own  people,  and  an  apostate  from  its  beliefs 
and  customs.     Hence  this  vehement  assertion  is  necessary. 

in  Christ.  Christ  is  the  motive  and  principle,  the  environment 
and  atmosphere  of  his  whole  life,  word,  and  deed. 

my  conscience  bearing  witness  with  me.  This  distinction 
between  the  self  and  the  conscience  is  explained  in  notes  on 
ii.  15- 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  3,  4  207 

great  sorrow  and  unceasing  pain  in  my  heart.      For  I  3 
could  wish  that  I  myself  were  anathema  from  Christ  for 
my  brethren's  sake,  my  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh  : 
who  are  Israelites;  whose  is  the  adoption,  and  the  glory,  4 

in  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Holy  Spirit  had  enlightened, 
quickened,  renewed  in  the  Apostle,  the  faculty  of  conscience, 
which  even  the  Gentiles  possessed. 

2.  sorrow  .  .  .  pain:  the  first  Greek  word  refers  to  the  mental 
and  emotional,  the  second  rather  to  the  physical  aspect  of  grief. 

3.  coiild  wish:  or,  '  pray.'  The  wish  was  in  his  mind,  the  prayer 
in  his  heart,  while  the  Apostle  knew  the  wish  was  one  that  could 
not  be  fulfilled,  the  prayer  one  that  could  not  be  offered ;  yet 
the  words  express  his  willingness  to  endure  even  the  greatest 
imaginable  sacrifice. 

anathema.    This  word  is  spelt  in  Greek  with  a  long  or  a  short 

*  e '  (for  which  Greek  has  two  distinct  letters).  With  the  long  '  e  * 
it  means  *  that  which  is  offered  or  consecrated  to  God.'  With  the 
short  '  e,'  which  is  found  here,  it  means  '  accursed,'  *  devoted  to 
destruction.'  In  the  Greek  version  of  the  O.  T.  it  is  applied  to 
things  or  persons  under  the  ban.  In  the  N.  T.  it  has  always  this 
meaning  (Gal.  i.  8,  9 ;  i  Cor.  xii.  3,  xvi.  22).  In  this  sense  the 
word  must  be  taken  here,  and  not  in  the  later  signification,  as 

*  excommunication.'  We  may  compare  with  Paul's  wish  Moses' 
prayer  (Exod.  xxxii.  32,  33)  :  *  Yet  now,  if  thou  wilt  forgive  their 
sin — ;  and  if  not,  blot  me,  I  pray  thee,  out  of  thy  book  which  thou 
hast  written.'  The  impossibility  of  an  answer  to  such  a  prayer  is 
shewn  in  God's  answer.  'Whosoever  hath  sinned  against  me, 
him  will  I  blot  out  of  my  book.' 

from  Christ :  not  accursed  by  Christ,  but  accursed  in  being 
separated  from  Christ. 

according-  to  the  flesh.  All  Christian  believers  were  Paul's 
brethren  spiritually  (cf.  Jesus'  words,  Mark  iii.  35).  The  Jews 
were  his  brethren  by  natural  relationship  (so  kinsmen,  xvi.  7-11). 

4.  Paul  now  takes  up  the  subject  he  had  just  suggested,  iii.  i,  2. 
Israelites.     As  Israel  was  a  divinely  given  name  of  Jacob, 

the  term  describes  his  descendants  as  God's  chosen  people,  and 
the  heirs  of  the  promises  given  to  the  fathers  (Eph.  ii.  12).  This 
title  is  transferred  to  the  Christian  Church,  which  is  spoken  of  as 
'the  Israel  of  God'  (Gal.  vi.  16).  In  contemporary  Jewish  litera- 
ture the  term  is  used  to  express  the  privileged  position  of  God's 
elect  nation.     'Hebrew'  expresses  a  Ungual,   'Jew'  a  national, 

*  Israel '  a  religious  distinction. 

adoption.  (See  note  on  viii.  15  for  the  application  of  the 
term  to  Christians.)     Here  it  is  used  to  express  God's  choice  of 


2o8  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  5 

and  the  covenants,  and  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the 
5  service  of  God^  and  the  promises ;  whose  are  the  fathers, 

the  Hebrew  people  as  His  own  ;  the  relation  between  Jehovah 
and  Israel  is  already  so  described  in  the  O.  T.  (Exod.  iv.  22  ;  Deut. 
xiv.  I,  xxxii.  6;  Jer.  xxxi.  9;  Hos.  xi.  i), 

g-lory :  the  pillar  of  cloud  by  day,  and  the  fire  by  night,  which 
was  the  visible  token  of  Jehovah's  presence  among  the  people 
(Exod.  xvi.  10).  The  Rabbis  called  this  the  Shekinah,  and  had 
many  speculations  about  it. 

covenants.  The  plural  is  used  not  to  include  the  old  and  the 
new,  the  Jewish  and  the  Christian  covenants,  but  in  reference  to 
the  several  renewals  of  the  one  covenant  (Gen.  vi.  18,  ix.  9,  xv. 
18,  xvii.  2,  7,  9 ;  Exod.  ii.  24).  The  Jews  were  prone  to  ignore 
the  obligations  the  covenant  imposed  on  them,  and  to  assert  the 
obligations  which  they  assumed  that  it  imposed  on  God.  The 
prophets  were  unwearied  in  their  rebuke  of  the  false  confidence 
which  this  sense  of  standing  in  covenant  relations  with  Jehovah 
often  produced. 

the  g'iving'  of  the  law.  The  dignity  and  glory  of  having 
received  amid  circumstances  of  awe  and  splendour  a  Divine  com- 
munication of  the  Divine  will  was  a  national  distinction  much 
prized  by  the  Jews.  Thus  consciousness  is  expressed  in  Deut.  iv. 
8  ;  Neh.  ix.  13,  14.  Paul  has  already  rebuked  the  assumption 
that  the  possession  of  the  law  merely,  without  its  observance,  con- 
ferred benefit.  In  Gal.  iii.  19,  20,  he  reckons  the  fact  that  the  law 
'was  ordained  through  angels  by  the  hand  of  a  mediator'  as 
a  disadvantage  in  comparison  with  the  direct  gift  of  the  promise 
by  the  one  God.  Keeping  the  law  was  regarded  by  the  Jews  as 
the  condition  for  securing  the  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  of  the 
Messianic  kingdom. 

the  service  of  God  :  the  ritual  worship  of  the  temple,  which, 
with  the  law  and  the  doing  of  kindness,  one  of  the  Jewish  fathers 
regarded  as  sustaining  the  world.  In  Heb.  ix.  1-6  a  brief  de- 
scription of  this  service  is  given,  but  with  reference  to  the 
tabernacle,  and  not  the  temple. 

the  promises :  especially  those  relating  to  the  Messianic 
kingdom  (i.  2 ;  Gal.  iii,  19  ;  Heb.  vi,  12,  xi,  13).  These  promises 
included  the  secure  possession  of  a  fertile  land,  an  abundant 
posterity,  the  righteous  and  prosperous  rule  of  a  Davidic  king,  &c. 
5.  the  fathers.  Cf,  Acts  iii.  13,  vii.  32,  ii.  29.  Jesus  describes 
the  woman  holden  with  an  infirmity  as  a  '  daughter  of  Abraham,' 
and  gives  this  as  a  reason  why  she  should  be  released  from  her 
bondage  (Luke  xiii.  16).  Lazarus  is  described  as  in  *  Abraham's 
bosom,'  and  the  rich  man  as  calling  him  '  father  Abraham '  (Luke 
xvi.  23,  24).     The  merits  of  the  fathers  were  regarded  by  Jewish 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  6  209 

and  of  whom  is  Christ  as  concerning  the  flesh,  who  is 
over  all,  God  blessed  for  ever.     Amen.     But  //  is  not  as  6 

theology  as  available  to  compensate  for  the  shortcomings  of  their 
descendants  (see  note  on  xi.  28). 

Christ :  rather,  <  the  Christ';  the  official  title,  not  the  personal 
name.     Paul  refers  several  times  to  the  Davidic  descent  of  Jesus. 

concerning-  tlie  flesh.     See  note  on  i.  3. 

who  is  over  all,  God  hlessed  for  ever.  With  change  of 
punctuation  three  other  renderings  are  possible:  (i)  'He  who  is 
God  over  all,  be  (or  is)  blessed  for  ever.'  A  full  stop  in  place  of 
a  comma  is  placed  after  <  flesh.'  (2)  '  He  who  is  over  all  is  God, 
blessed  for  ever.'  The  same  punctuation  allows  this  different 
rendering.  (3)  *  Who  is  over  all.  God  be  (or  is)  blessed  for  ever.' 
The  full  stop  is  placed  after  the  '  all.'  As  the  original  MSS.  of  the 
Epistles  had  no  punctuation ,  the  later  MSS.  can  claim  no  traditional 
authority  for  their  punctuation.  The  question  then  is  purely  one  of 
the  best  interpretation,  (i)  Against  the  rendering  in  the  text  the 
following  considerations  have  been  urged  :  (i)  Paul  always  repre- 
sents Christ  as  subordinate  to  the  Father,  and  therefore  it  is  not 
likely  that  he  would  have  ascribed  to  him  supreme  dominion  in  the 
words  <  who  is  over  all.'  But  he  does  ascribe  to  Christ  sovereignty 
over  creation  (i  Cor.  xi.  3,  xv.  28  ;  Phil.  ii.  5-1 1  ;  Col.  i.  13-20). 
(2)  He  uses  '  God '  as  practically  a  proper  name  for  the  Father, 
even  as  *  Lord '  for  Christ,  and  '  Spirit'  for  the  third  person  in  the 
Godhead,  and  so  would  not  be  likely  to  call  Christ  'God.'  But 
he  calls  the  Father  'Lord'  (i  Cor.  iii.  5)  and  Christ  'Spirit' 
(2  Cor.  iii.  18),  and  why  not  Christ  '  God '  ?  (3)  A  doxology  is 
nowhere  addressed  to  Christ,  save  in  2  Tim.  iv.  18,  about  the 
Pauline  authorship  of  which  there  is  at  least  sufficient  doubt  to 
forbid  its  use  in  any  argument  about  Pauline  usage.  But  Paul 
ascribed  such  Divine  dignity  and  prerogative  to  Christ  that  we 
cannot  say  confidently  that  he  could  not,  in  a  mood  of  spiritual 
exaltation  as  here,  have  addressed  a  doxology  to  Christ.  The 
arguments  against  the  R.  V.  rendering  are  not  conclusive.  But 
what  can  be  said  for  or  against  the  other  renderings?  (ii)  The 
third  rendering  ('who  it  over  all.  God  be  blessed  for  ever')  has 
little  to  commend  it ;  the  doxology  comes  in  too  abmptly.  The 
clause  'who  is  over  all'  is  an  insufficient  contrast  to  the  phrase 
'as  concerning  the  flesh.'  (iii)  Between  the  first  and  second 
alternative  renderings  there  is  no  great  difference ;  but  if  we 
could  adopt  either,  probably  the  first  ('  He  who  is  God  over  all 
be  blessed  for  ever ')  is  preferable.  Against  this  punctuation  and 
the  resulting  renderings  there  are  serious  objections,  (i)  The 
doxology  comes  in  too  abruptly  ;  it  is  in  no  way  prepared  for  in 
what  precedes.     (2)  There  is  needed  and  expected  some  striking 

P 


2IO  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  7 

though  the  word  of  God  hath  come  to  nought.     For  they 
jr  are  not  all  Israel,  which  are  of  Israel :  neither,  because 


contrast  to  the  description  of  Christ  as  of  Jewish  descent  as  con- 
cerning the  flesh,  and  what  could  be  more  striking  than  the 
ascription  of  divinity  to  him  in  so  exalted  a  form.  A  similar 
contrast  in  i.  3-4  strengthens  the  force  of  this  argument.  (3^ 
There  is  a  grammatical  objection  to  the  sudden  change  of  subject, 
first  Christ,  then  God.  (4)  The  position  of  blessed  at  the  end  of 
the  sentence,  and  not  at  the  beginning,  is  contrary  to  idiomatic 
usage  in  doxologies.  Strange  then  as  the  ascription  in  so  un- 
qualified a  form  of  the  title  God,  of  the  descriptive  epithet 
*  who  is  over  all,'  and  of  a  doxology  to  Christ  must  be  pronounced 
to  be  in  Pauline  usage,  yet  the  most,  probable  conclusion  is  that 
the  R.  V.  rendering  is  right.  But  at  the  same  time  it  must  be 
maintained  that  this  passage  cannot  be  used  dogmatically  as  teach- 
ing a  doctrine  of  our  Lord's  divinity  in  advance  of  what  we  find 
elsewhere  in  Paul's  writings  stated  beyond  any  doubt  or  question. 

(ii)ix.6-i3.  God's  unconditional  election.  Having  enumerated  the 
privileges  of  Israel,  both  to  prove  the  sincerity  of  his  sorrow  and 
to  shew  the  greatness  of  the  problem  to  be  dealt  with,  Paul  makes 
an  appeal  to  history  to  illustrate  his  thesis  that  God's  election  is 
not  determined  by  any  claim  or  merit  of  man,  but  only  by  His 
free  will,  (a)  God  has  not  broken  His  word,  for  the  previous 
history  of  the  nation  shews  that  God's  election  does  not  include 
all  the  physical  descendants  of  an  elect  person,  but  that  individual 
descendants  are  elected  or  rejected  according  to  God's  free  choice 
(6-8).  {b)  The  principle  was  illustrated  in  the  case  of  Abraham, 
of  whose  sons  only  Isaac  was  chosen  ;  so  still  more  unmistakably 
in  the  case  of  Isaac,  of  whose  twin  sons  one  was  before  birth, 
irrespective  of  merit,  called  to  honour,  the  other  appointed  to 
servitude,  a  distinction  which  the  history  of  their  respective 
descendants  has  verified  (9-13). 

6.  But  it  is  not  as  thong-h.  Paul's  intense  anguish  for  his 
people  does  not,  as  might  at  first  appear,  imply  any  doubt  of  God's 
faithfulness  to  His  promises. 

word  of  God:  God's  declaration  of  His  will,  whether  in 
promise  or  threat.  This  is  the  only  place  in  the  N.  T.  where  the 
phrase  is  used  in  this  sense,  usually  it  means  'the  gospel'  as 
preached. 

hath  coxne  to  nought:  lit.  'fallen  from  its  place,'  that  is, 
failed. 

Israel.  In  the  first  use  of  the  word  here  the  meaning  is  the 
chosen  race,  in  the  second  the  ancestor  Jacob.  Not  all  Jacob's 
physical  descendants  (of  Israel)  share  in  the  privileges  which  the 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  8,  9  211 

they  are  Abraham's  seed,  are  they  all  children  :  but,  In 
Isaac  shall  thy  seed  be  called.      That  is,  it  is  not  the  8 
children  of  the  flesh  that  are  children  of  God;  but  the 
children  of  the  promise  are  reckoned  for  a  seed.   For  this  9 
is  a  word  of  promise.  According  to  this  season  will  I 

new  name  sealed  as  his  possession.  It  is  to  be  noted,  however, 
that  we  do  not  find  any  selection  made  among  the  sons  of  Jacob, 
but  all  the  tribes  were  included  in  the  nation.  Hence  Paul  has 
to  go  back  for  his  illustrations  to  Abraham  and  Isaac.  In  verse  7, 
therefore,  he  states  the  same  general  principle,  that  physical 
descent  docs  not  necessarily  involve  spiritual  privilege  with 
special  reference  to  Abraham. 

7.  Abraham's  seed.  A  distinction  is  first  made  between  '  seed ' 
as  physical  descendants,  and  '  children '  as  those  who  in  addition 
arc  chosen  to  inherit  the  privileges  ;  but  immediately  after  in  the 
quotation  'seed'  is  used  not  of  physical  descendants  merely,  but 
in  the  same  sense  as  *  children  '  has  just  been  used.  But  we  have 
the  same  double  sense  in  Gen.  xxi,  12,  13,  for  immediately  after 
the  words  quoted  the  '  son  of  the  bondswoman '  is  described  as 
'Abraham's  seed.'  Paul  himself  claims  to  be  physically  'of  the 
seed  of  Abraham*  (xi.  i),  but  describes  all  who  are  Christ's  as 
spiritually  'Abraham's  seed'  (Gal.  iii.  29). 

In  Isaac.  Not  all  Abraham's  descendants  were  elected,  but 
only  those  who  had  in  Isaac  their  forefather,  and  the  reason  for 
this  is  given  in  the  next  verse, 

called :  counted,  reckoned,  not  summoned. 

8.  children  of  the  flesh:  those  who  are  merely  physical 
descendants,  begotten  and  born  in  the  natural  course,  as 
Ishmael  was. 

children  of  God :  those  who  stand  in  covenant  relations  to 
God,  inherit  the  promises,  possess  the  privileges  of  the  chosen 
people. 

the  children  of  the  promise :  not  merelj'  '  the  promised 
children,'  but  the  children  not  due  to  merely  natural  generation, 
but  Divine  promise,  which,  appropriated  by  human  faith,  becomes 
a  miraculous  power  operative  even  in  the  sphere  of  physical 
nature.  Abraham  and  Sarah  are  both  regarded  as  ph3'sically 
impotent  for  parenthood,  but  as  supematurally  vitalized  by  their 
faith  in  God's  promise  (see  notes  on  iv.  18-21).  While  the 
principle  is  generalized  by  the  use  of  the  plural,  it  is  the  case  of 
Isaac  that  is  specially  referred  to.  It  is  by  a  supernatural  re- 
generation that  the  Gentiles  become  the  spiritual  descendants  of 
Abraham.     This  idea  is  worked  out  in  Gal.  iv.  21-31. 

9.  a  word  of  promise:  the  Greek  order  is  *of  promise  this  is 

P   2 


212  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  lo,  ii 

10  come,  and  Sarah  shall  have  a  son.   And  not  only  so;  but 
Rebecca  also  having  conceived  by  one,  eve7i  by  our  father 

11  Isaac — for  the  children  being  not  yet  born,  neither  having 


the  word.'  The  promise  was  not  given  because  of  the  birth,  but 
the  birth  was  because  of  the  promise  ;  the  physical  always  depends 
on  the  spiritual ;  Isaac's  claim  was  not  that  he  was  a  physical 
descendant,  but  that  he  was  born  in  fulfilment  of  promise. 

Accordingr  to  this  season.  Paul  in  his  quotation  combines 
a  clause  from  verse  lo  and  another  from  verse  14  of  Gen.  xviii. 
The  reference  of  this  first  clause  is  clearly  to  the  time  of  year 
when  the  messengers  of  Jehovah  visited  Abraham.  After  a  year's 
lapse  the  promise  given  would  be  fulfilled. 

10.  And  not  only  so :  Paul  is  going  to  give  a  still  clearer 
illustration  of  the  same  principle,  for  it  might  be  said  that  Isaac's 
election  was  quite  explicable,  because  (i)  he  was  the  child  of 
Abraham's  v^ife,  while  Ishmael  was  born  of  a  bondswoman,  and 
(2)  he  was  born  in  fulfilment  of  promise,  whereas  Ishmael's  birth 
shewed  a  distrust  of  God's  promise.  But  Jacob  and  Esau  were 
born  at  one  birth  to  the  same  parents,  and  yet  the  election  of 
one  was  before  birth. 

but  Babecca:  the  sentence  is  not  finished,  but  after  the 
parenthesis  of  verse  11  the  construction  is  changed  in  verse  12. 

our  father  Isaac.  Paul  writes  as  a  Jew,  but  the  phrase  tells 
us  nothing  about  the  composition  of  the  Roman  Church. 

11.  for.  In  this  parenthesis  Paul  introduces  a  new  thought, 
which  is  not  at  all  necessary  to  his  argument.  He  would  have 
proved  the  freedom  of  God's  choice  irrespective  of  the  physical 
descent  of  those  chosen,  if  he  had  simply  mentioned  that  Jacob 
was  preferred  to  Esau.  But  as  it  is  a  distinctive  feature  of  his 
gospel  that  salvation  is  apart  from  works,  he  pauses  to  explain 
that  the  choice  of  Jacob  was  quite  apart  from  any  merit  on  his 
part,  for  it  was  made  at  a  time  when  there  could  be  no  merit.  As 
physical  descent  does  not  limit  God's  freedom,  so  even  personal 
merit  does  not ;  the  reason  for  God's  action  is  in  Himself.  As  the 
Jews  based  their  claims  on  their  physical  descent,  not  their  moral 
merit,  this  conclusion  is  irrelevant  to  the  argument ;  but,  as  in  the 
next  stage  of  the  argument  Paul  sets  himself  to  shew  that  the 
Jews  deserved  their  rejection,  it  is  even  worse,  it  is  inconsistent 
with  his  own  position.  It  might  be  met  in  two  ways  by  the 
Jewish  opponent,  (i)  The  possibility  of  sin  even  in  the  womb 
was  recognized  by  contemporary  Jewish  theology  (cf.  John  ix.  2, 
'  Who  did  sin,  this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he  was  born  blind  ? '). 
(2)  God's  judgement  on  the  twin  brothers  might  be  pronounced  in 
anticipation  of  the  character  that  each  would  afterward  display. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   9.  12,  13  213 

done  anything  good  or  bad,  that  the  purpose  of  God 
according  to  election  might  stand,  not  of  works,  but  of 
him  that  calleth,  it  was  said  unto  her,  The  elder  shall  12 
serve  the  younger.     Even  as  it  is  written,  Jacob  I  loved,  13 
but  Esau  I  hated. 

Paul  shews  himself  here  more  of  the  Rabbinic  controversialist 
than  of  the  Christian  theologian. 

that  the  purpose.  Paul  states,  as  the  purpose  of  these  events, 
what  is  the  principle  illustrated  in  the  facts— the  freedom  of  God's 
choice. 

the  purpose  of  God.  This  is  one  of  Paul's  leading  thoughts. 
The  salvation  of  mankind  has  been  the  intention  of  God  from  the 
beginning,  and  this  intention  has  guided  His  action  throughout  the 
ages  (viii.  28  ;  Eph.  i.  9-1 1). 

accordingf  to  election.  God  fulfils  His  purpose  by  this 
method,  the  selection  of  individuals  as  the  instruments  of  His 
will.  The  word  means  (i)  the  process  of  choice,  but  also  (2)  the 
persons  chosen,  the  elect  (xi.  7). 

not  of  works,  "biit  of  him  that  calleth.  This  clause  sets 
aside  all  human  merit  as  the  ground  of  God's  choice,  and  asserts 
God's  absolute  freedom.  But  the  argument  here  is  concerned 
only  with  God's  election  to  historical  function  and  privilege 
as  a  member  of  the  chosen  race,  not  with  God's  determination 
of  any  man's  eternal  destiny  by  including  or  excluding  him  from 
His  grace.  In  the  Calvinistic  doctrine  of  election  and  reprobation 
this  passage  is  used  for  a  purpose  for  which  it  was  not  intended, 
for  which  it  is  inconclusive. 

12.  it  was  said  unto  her.  Just  as  Paul  had  described  Isaac's 
election  by  quoting  the  words  spoken  to  Abraham,  so  he  now 
records  Jacob's  election  by  repeating  the  intimation  to  the  mother 
(Gen.  XXV.  23). 

elder  .  .  .  young-er:  lit.  the  'greater,'  the  'smaller,'  but 
correctly  rendered  in  the  R.  V.  As  applied  to  the  descendants, 
the  nations,  the  reference  of  the  terms  would  be  not  to  age,  but 
strength. 

sha<ll  serve.  This  was  not  literally  fulfilled  in  the  case  of 
Esau  and  Jacob,  for  Jacob  appears  rather  as  a  suppliant  for 
Esau's  mercy  and  a  dependent  on  his  favour.  But  it  was  literally 
fulfilled  in  the  history  of  their  descendants,  as  Edom  was  long 
subject  to  Judah. 

13.  The  purpose  of  this  verse  has  been  explained  in  two  wa3'S : 
(i)  It  simply  gives  the  reason  for  the  choice  of  Jacob  and 
rejection  of  Esau.  God  loved  the  one,  and  hated  the  other. 
God's  choice  depended  not  on  human  merit,  but  simply  on  Divine 


214  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  14 

14      What  shall  we  say  then  ?  Is  there  unrighteousness  with 

feeling.  But  it  must  be  felt  that  this  explanation,  however  simple 
it  may  appear,  is  theologically  very  objectionable.  We  may  be 
sure  Paul  does  not  want  to  represent  God  as  acting  from  caprice, 
from  prejudice,  or  favouritism.  (2)  The  second  explanation  is 
undoubtedly  to  be  preferred.  Paul,  in  his  quotation  from  the 
prophet  Malachi  (i.  2,  3),  is  not  describing  the  Divine  feeling 
towards  individuals,  Jacob  and  Esau,  but  the  historical  destiny 
of  two  peoples,  Judah  and  Edom,  in  which  the  election  of  the 
ancestor  of  the  one  and  the  rejection  of  the  ancestor  of  the  other 
found  illustration  and  confirmation.  The  following  reasons  can  be 
urged  for  this  view:  (i)  Paul,  on  his  whole  treatment  of  the 
subject,  has  the  descendants  as  well  as  the  ancestors  in  view, 
as  he  is  arguing  against  the  pretensions  of  the  Jews  to  exclusive 
privilege  on  account  solely  of  physical  descent,  (ii)  The  passages 
quoted  from  Genesis  and  Malachi  both  refer  to  nations,  and  not 
individuals  only.  Gen.  xxv.  23  reads:  'Two  nations  are  in  thy 
womb,  and  two  peoples  shall  be  separated  from  thy  bowels.' 
Mai.  i.  2-4  runs  :  '  I  have  loved  3'ou,  saith  the  Lord.  Yet  ye  say. 
Wherein  hast  thou  loved  us  ?  Was  not  Esau  Jacob's  brother  ? 
saith  the  Lord  ;  yet  I  loved  Jacob  ;  but  Esau  I  hated,  and  made 
his  mountains  a  desolation,  and  gave  his  heritage  to  the  jackals  of 
the  wilderness.  Whereas  Edom  saith.  We  are  beaten  down,  but 
we  will  return,  and  build  the  waste  places.'  While  Paul  might 
have  given  these  quotations  a  reference  they  had  not  in  the 
original  context,  yet  when  the  reference  of  the  original  context 
is  admissible,  it  should  be  preferred.  ;iii)  Paul  wants  to  lay 
emphasis  on  historical  facts  as  illustrating  that  God  fulfils  His 
purpose  according  to  election,  and  would  not  be  likely  to  go 
behind  the  facts  to  the  Divine  feeling  as  an  explanation  of  them. 

loved,  .  .  .  hated.  Accepting  the  explanation  given  above 
we  need  not  explain  '  hated '  as  meaning  '  loved  less,'  a  use 
of  the  term  which  may  be  illustrated  from  Gen.  xxix.  30-33  ; 
Matt.  X.  37  ;  Luke  xiv.  26  ;  John  xii.  25.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
Israel  enjoyed  privileges  that  were  denied  to  Edom  ;  and  this 
broad  distinction,  the  full  explanation  of  which  is  not  attempted, 
is  expressed  emphatically  in  the  prophetic  utterance.  This  has 
nothing  to  do  whatever  with  the  Divine  disposition  to  individuals, 
but  simply  with  the  historical  destiny  of  nations.  Some  general 
considerations  in  further  explanation  of  this  passage  may  be 
reserved  until  the  argument  is  completed. 

(iii)  ix.  14-18.  God's  claim  of  freedom.  This  passage  does  not 
explain  the  difficulty  of  God's  election  ;  but  it  seeks  to  meet  an 
objection  which  a  Jew  might  make  by  an  argument  which  from 
his  standpoint  must  be  regarded  as  conclusive.     Paul  might  be 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  15-17  215 

God?   God  forbid.     For  he  saith  to  Moses,  I  will  have  15 
mercy  on  whom  I  have  mercy,  and  I  will  have  compassion 
on  whom  I  have  compassion.     So  then  it  is  not  of  him  16 
that  willeth,  nor  of  him  that  runneth,  but  of  God  that 
hath  mercy.     For  the  scripture  saith  unto  Pharaoh,  For  17 
this  very  purpose  did  I  raise  thee  up,  that  I  might  shew 

blamed  by  the  Jewish  objector  for  representing  the  Divine  election 
as  unjust,  but  his  answer  was  ready  to  hand.  In  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  the  ultimate  court  of  appeal,  God  is  represented 
as  claiming  for  Himself  the  very  freedom  which  Paul  has  asserted 
that  He  exercises.  This  is  not  a  final  solution  of  the  theological 
problem  ;  it  is  simply  an  argument  fitted  to  close  the  mouth  of  the 
Jewish  objector.  God's  absolute  election  cannot  be  charged  with 
being  unjust,  for  God  expressly  claims  for  Himself  this  freedom  in 
dealing  with  man,  whether  He  deals  graciously  as  with  Moses,  or 
severely  as  with  Pharaoh  (14-18). 

14.  with  God :  in  His  court,  at  His  bar  (ii.  ir  ;  Eph.  vi.  9). 

15.  Moses.  Just  as  Abraham  is  mentioned  in  iv.  to  prove  that 
he  was  accepted  for  his  faith  and  not  his  works,  so  Moses  is  here 
selected  for  illustration  of  the  principle  that  election  is  of  God's 
freedom,  not  man's  merit,  as  the  Jews  might  well  assume  that  he 
deserved  favour. 

I  will  have  mercy :  quoted  from  Exod.  xxxiii.  19  (LXX).  The 
emphasis  in  the  original  passage  is  on  the  certainty  of  God's 
favour  to  His  chosen,  in  Paul's  use  of  it  on  God's  freedom  in 
choosing;  man  cannot  claim  God's  favour,  or  dictate  His  choice. 

mercy,  .  .  .  compassion.  The  first  word  in  Greek  means 
the  feeling ;  the  second,  its  physical  expression.  (Cf.  for 
similar  contrasts,  'wrath'  and  'indignation'  (ii.  8),  'tribulation' 
and  'anguish'  (ii.  9)  ;   'sorrow*  and  'pain*  (ix.  2).) 

16.  From  this  particular  instance  Paul  infers  a  general  rule 
that  the  reason  for  God's  favour  is  not  man's  desire  or  purpose 
(willeth),  or  his  effort  (runneth),  but  God's  own  choice  alone. 

runneth :  a  metaphor  for  strenuous,  continuous  effort,  taken 
from  the  Greek  race-course,  which  offers  Paul  several  illustrations 
(i  Cor.  ix.  24-26  ;  Gal.  ii.  2,  v.  7  ;  Phil.  ii.  16,  iii.  12-14). 

1*7.  the  scripture  saith.  Notice  (i)  the  personification  of  the 
Scripture  in  this  common  formula  of  quotation  (Gal.  iii.  8,  22)  ; 
(2)  the  change  of  formula  from  verse  15,  'he  (God)  saith'  ;  but 
Paul  regards  what  Scripture  saith  as  identical  with  what  God 
saith. 

Pharaoh.  The  mention  of  Moses  would  naturally  suggest 
his  opponent  as  an  illustration  of  contrasted  dealing. 

Por  this  very  purpose :    quoted  from  Exod.  ix.  16  (LXX). 


2i6  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.   18,19 

in  thee  my  power,  and  that  my  name  might  be  published 

18  abroad  in  all  the  earth.     So  then  he  hath  mercy  on  whom 
he  will,  and  whom  he  will  he  hardeneth. 

19  Thou  wilt  say  then  unto  me,  Why  doth  he  still  find 

The  words  in  their  original  context  mean  that  Pharaoh  had  been 
spared  in  the  plague  of  boils,  as  God  had  further  intentions  in 
dealing  with  him,  to  use  him  as  the  instrument  for  the  release 
of  Israel  from  bondage.  Paul  disregards  this  limitation,  and 
refers  the  words  generally  to  Pharaoh's  historical  career  as  an 
exhibition  of  Divine  power,  not  to  save,  but  harden. 

did  I  raise  thee  up :  not  from  the  bed  of  sickness,  as  in 
the  original  context,  but  on  the  stage  of  history  (Hab.  i.  6 ;  Zech. 
xi.  16;  Jer.  xxvii.  41  ;  LXX). 

18.  So  then:  again  the  general  inference  from  the  particular 
instance. 

hardeneth.  While  God  is  on  one  hand  described  as  hardening 
Pharaoh's  heart  (Exod.  vii.  3,  ix.  12,  x.  20,  27,  xi.  10,  xiv.  4,  8), 
Pharaoh  is  on  the  other  hand  represented  as  hardening  his  own 
(viii,  32,  ix.  34).  The  O.  T.  represents  as  direct  Divine  action 
what  we,  with  a  more  adequate  theology  and  a  more  accurate 
psychology,  would  describe  as  the  necessary  result  of  man's  moral 
constitution.  Paul  is  here  dealing  with  only  one  aspect  of  God's 
action  ;  his  aim  is  to  assert  the  Divine  sovereignty  over  against 
all  human  arrogance  ;  it  is  altogether  to  misuse  this  passage  to 
derive  from  it  any  doctrine  of  Divine  reprobation  to  eternal  death. 

(iv)  ix.  19-29.  The  creature  and  the  Creator.  («)  But  if  God  thus 
claims  freedom  to  shew  mercy,  or  to  pardon,  what,  the  objector 
may  ask,  becomes  of  human  responsibility  ?  If  God  makes  or  mars 
men  in  arbitrary  omnipotence,  there  can  be  neither  praise  nor 
blame  (19).  {b)  The  answer  to  this  objection  is:  It  is  not  for  the 
creature  thus  to  criticize  or  to  challenge  the  action  of  the  Creator, 
as  His  rights  are  absolute  (20,  21).  (c)  Especially  is  this  attitude 
unbecoming  as  God  has  used  His  freedom  to  deal  patiently  with 
the  perverse  deserving  punishment,  and  to  shew  unmerited  grace 
to  the  undeserving,  in  calling  into  His  church  Gentiles  as  well  as 
Jews,  as  has  been  foretold  in  prophecy,  which  declares  not  only 
the  unexpected  favour  granted  to  the  Gentiles,  but  also  the  sur- 
prising patience  shewn  to  Israel  (22-29).  The  first  objection 
Paul  met  (verse  6)  was  that  God's  promise  had  come  to  naught, 
if  the  Jews  were  rejected,  the  second  (verse  14),  that  God's  action 
was  unjust  if  He  elected  or  rejected  individuals  or  nations  according 
to  His  mere  will.  The  third  objection  he  now  meets  is  that  if  God 
acts  just  as  He  wills,  man  has  no  freedom,  no  merit  or  demerit, 
no  praise  or  blame.     He  does  not  meet  the  objection  full  in  the 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  20,  21  217 

fault  ?  For  who  withstandeth  his  will  ?  Nay  but,  O  man,  20 
who  art  thou  that  repliest  against  God  ?  Shall  the  thing 
formed  say  to  him  that  formed  it,  Why  didst  thou  make 
me  thus?  Or  hath  not  the  potter  a  right  over  the  clay,  21 

face  by  seeking  to  reconcile  Divine  sovereignty  and  human  freedom. 
That  problem  had  probably  little  interest  for  him,  and  he  vi'as  no 
more  able  to  solve  it  than  we  now  are.  He  turns  it  aside  by 
rebuking  the  irreverence  towards  God  which  this  challenge  of 
God's  ways  implied.  If  his  rebuke  seems  harsh  and  severe,  be 
it  remembered  that  this  mood  of  racial  arrogance  deserved  such 
treatment.  But  Paul  does  more  than  rebuke,  while  he  claims  for 
God  such  freedom,  he  shews  that  we  can  trace  in  God's  dealings, 
not  arbitrary  power,  but  longsuffering  patience  and  abounding 
mercy.  God's  actual  dealing  is  such  that  man  has  no  occasion 
for  raising  this  problem  of  Divine  sovereignty  and  human  freedom. 
While  in  this  section  Paul  does  deal  with  the  eternal  destiny  of 
individuals,  his  argument  is  purely  hypothetical.  If  God  did  just 
as  He  pleased,  man  would  have  no  right  to  complain.  This 
hypothetical  argument  breaks  down  in  Paul's  own  hands.  As 
a  fact,  God  does  not  act  as  the  exigencies  of  controversy  require 
Paul  to  assume  that  He  would  have  a  right  to  act. 

19.  Thou  wilt  say  then.  By  the  use  of  this  phrase  instead  of 
'What  shall  we  say  then?'  Paul  holds  himself  more  thoroughly 
aloof  from  this  objection, 

why  doth  he  still  find  fault  ?  If  God  Himself  hardens,  why 
does  He  blame  His  own  workmanship  ? 

still  implies  a  changed  situation.  As  long  as  a  man  could 
regard  himself  as  free,  God's  judgement  must  seem  just  to  him. 
But  now  when,  as  in  the  previous  argument,  his  liberty  is  denied, 
his  responsibility  must  go  too. 

who  withstandeth  his  will?  The  man  who  disobeys  is  on 
this  view  as  much  determined  by  God's  will  as  he  who  obeys  ; 
there  can  be  no  resistance  where  there  is  impotence. 

20.  Nay  but,  O  man.  A  strong  personal  rebuke  gaining  force 
from  the  use  of  the  singular. 

Shall  the  thing"  formed.  The  relation  of  man  as  creature  to 
God  as  Creator  is  expressed  in  the  O.  T.  by  the  figure  of  the 
potter  and  the  clay  which  he  fashions  according  to  his  will 
(Isa,  xxix.  16,  xlv.  9,  10,  Ixiv.  8;  Jer.  xviii.  6).  For  Paul  and  the 
Jew  whom  he  addressed  the  idea  of  God's  absolute  sovereignty 
as  Creator  over  His  creatures,  thus  illustrated,  would  be  one 
beyond  all  doubt  or  question,  and  he  could,  therefore,  confidently 
appeal  to  it  in  argument. 

21.  This  is  the  argument  called  vednctio  ad  ahsurdum.  If  you 
deny  that  God  can  do  with  man  as  He  will,  you  may  as  well  denj' 


2r8  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  32 

from  the  same  lump  to  make  one  part  a  vessel  unto 

22  honour,   and  another  unto  dishonour?     What  if  God, 

willing  to  shew  his  wrath,  and  to  make  his  power  known, 

endured  with  much  longsuffering  vessels  of  wrath  fitted 

the  power  of  the  potter  over  the  clay— an  absurd  idea.  The  potter 
has  regard  of  course  to  the  quality  of  the  clay,  he  can  nise  one 
lump  in  a  way  he  cannot  another ;  but  this  thought,  although  it 
might  be  applied  to  God's  dealings  with  men,  whose  varying 
capacity  He  surely  does  take  into  account,  is  not  present  to  the 
mind  of  the  Apostle.  All  he  wants  to  assert  is  God's  absolute 
sovereignty  as  Creator  over  His  creatures. 

a  vessel  uutc  honour,  . .  .  unto  dishoiiour.  Cf.  2  Tim.  ii.  20, 
where,  however,  there  follows  immediately,  in  verse  21,  a  recog- 
nition of  human  freedom  and  responsibility. 

22.  Paul  here  gives  the  argument  a  new  turn.  Even  if  God 
acted  arbitrarily,  man  could  have  no  right  to  complain.  Still  less 
excuse  has  he  for  any  complaint  when,  as  is  manifest,  God's  action 
is  beneficent  in  its  character  to  all  alike.  What  follows  is  intended 
to  modify  the  severity  of  what  precedes. 

What  if  God.  The  original  Greek  is  elliptical — a  conditional 
clause  without  the  principal  clause  on  which  it  should  depend  : 
the  literal  sense  of  the  words  being  '  But  if  God.'  The  R.V. 
'What,'  if  understood  to  mean  'What  answer  wilt  thou  make?' 
correctly  gives  the  sense.  The  conditional  clause  does  not  express 
an  hypothesis,  but  a  fact,  and  thus  the  objector  is  supposed  to  be 
efTectually  silenced. 

willing' :  the  exact  connexion  of  the  participle  with  the  finite 
verb  is  doubtful.  It  may  mean  either  '  because  God  wishes  to 
shew  His  wrath,'  or  'although  God  wishes  to  shew  His  wrath.* 
Taking  the  former  meaning  the  sense  of  the  whole  sentence 
would  be,  God's  patience  is  exercised  in  order  that  He  may  the 
more  terribly  at  last  display  His  indignation  against  sin ;  He 
restrains  His  wrath  with  a  view  to  its  fuller  manifestation  at  the 
future  judgement.  But  as  Paul's  aim  is  to  shew  that  God  does 
not  inflict  on  man  all  the  penalty  he  deserves,  this  interpretation 
is  inappropriate,  and  is  in  other  respects  very  objectionable.  The 
latter  meaning  of  the  clause  gives  the  true  sense  of  the  passage. 
God  permanently  and  essentially  is  indignant  at  and  opposed  to 
sin,  and  it  is  His  will  to  manifest  His  relation  to  sin,  but  He  sets 
limits  to  this  will  by  His  longsuffering  endurance. 

wrath:  see  note  on  i.  i8. 

make  his  power  known.  This  is  added  as  a  remembrance 
of  the  quotation  in  verse  17  ;  the  power  is  the  agent  of  the  wrath. 

endured  with  mxich  longsufforing-.      In   ii.   4  a    gracious 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  23,24  219 

unto  destruction  :  and  that  he  might  make  known  the  23 
riches  of  his  glory  upon  vessels  of  mercy,  which  he  afore 
prepared  unto  glory,  even  us,  whom  he  also  called,  not  24 

purpose  is  indicated  in  God's  patience ;  its  aim  is  to  lead  to 
repentance,  not,  as  the  context  here  might  suggest,  to  reserve  for 
a  future  manifestation  of  wrath. 

vessels  of  wrath.  The  word  '  vessels '  is  suggested  by  the 
figure  of  the  potter  and  the  clay  of  the  previous  verse.  The 
genitive  in  Greek,  *  of  wrath,*  does  not  definitely  fix  the  connexion 
of  the  two  words.  Probably  it  does  not  mean  *  appointed  to 
wrath,'  but  either  *  deserving  of  wrath,'  or,  as  a  complete  contrast 
to  '  vessels  of  mercy,'  *  experiencing  his  wrath.'  The  construction 
is  different  from  that  in  the  previous  verse,  *  vessels  unto  dishonour,' 
a  phrase  which  does  mean  *  appointed  unto  dishonour.' 

fitted  unto  destruction.  Paul  does  not  say  'which  God 
fitted  unto  destruction,'  as  he  says  in  verse  23  of  the  vessels  of 
mercy,  *  which  he  afore  prepared  unto  glory.*  Although  in  verse 
18  he  had  spoken  of  God's  hardening  whom  He  will,  here  he 
wants  to  suggest  God's  beneficence  rather  than  His  severity. 
Neither  does  he  say  *  which  fitted  themselves  for  destruction,' 
although   in  the  next  chapter  he  charges  the  Jews  with  being 

*  a  disobedient  and  gainsaying  people,'  for  now  he  is  laying  stress 
on  God's,  not  man's  freedom  of  action.  He  chooses  an  intermediate 
expression  which  avoids  both  explanations  of  the  fact,  and  which 
states  simply  the  fact  of  fitness  for  destiuction. 

23.  and  that  he  mig'ht  make  known.  The  grammatical 
construction  of  this  sentence  is  defective,  but  the  sense  is  clear. 
God's  endurance  had  a  purpose  not  only  as  regards  those  who 
were  the  objects  of  it,  but  had  a  further  reference  to  the  larger 
purpose  of  His  mercy.  He  bore  with  unbelieving  Jews  not  onl}' 
for  their  own  sakes,  but  in  order  that  in  the  fullness  of  the  times 
He  in  Christ  might  shew  His  mercy  to  Jew  and  Gentile  alike. 

the  riches  of  his  gflory.  Cf.  Eph.  iii.  16  and  Rom. 
ii.  4. 

vessels  of  mercy:  not  'deserving  of  the  mercy'  (that  would 
be  not  a  Pauline  thought),  but  simply  '  experiencing  His  mercy.* 
Mercy  and  desert  are  mutually  exclusive  conceptions.  Where 
there  is  desert  there  is  no  need  of  mercy,  and  where  mercy 
is  shewn  there  can  have  been  no  desert. 

which  he  afore  prepared  unto  glory.  Paul  ascribes  to  God 
the  preparation  of  the  vessels  of  mercy  for  glory,  although  he  does 
not  describe  God  as  fitting  the  vessels  of  wrath  for  destruction. 
(A  similar  variation  of  phrase  may  be  noted    in  Matt.  xxv.  34, 

*  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared 
for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,'  and  41,  *  Depart  from 


220  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  25-28 

25  from  the  Jews  only,  but  also  from  the  Gentiles?     As  he 
saith  also  in  Hosea, 

I  will  call  that  my  people,  which  was  not  my  people; 
And  her  beloved,  which  was  not  beloved. 

26  And  it  shall  be,  that  in  the  place  where  it  was  said 

unto  them,  Ye  are  not  my  people, 
There  shall  they  be  called  sons  of  the  living  God. 

27  And  Isaiah  crieth  concerning  Israel,  If  the  number  of 
the  children  of  Israel  be  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  it  is  the 

28  remnant  that  shall  be  saved :  for  the  Lord  will  execute 

me,  ye  cursed,  into  the  eternal  fire  which  is  prepared  for  the 
devil  and  his  angels.')  The  Divine  preparation  for  glory  is 
outlined  in  viii.  28-30. 

24.  Gentiles:  Paul  regards  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles  not 
merely  as  the  historical  result  of  the  rejection  of  the  Jews,  but 
as  the  Divine  intention  in  that  rejection.  (See  the  argument 
worked  out  in  chap,  xi.) 

25-29.  Paul,  writing  to  those  who,  whether  Jews  or  Gentiles, 
accepted  the  Jewish  Scriptures  as  authoritative,  seeks  always  to 
confirm  his  conclusions,  especially  when  they  might  appear 
disputable,  by  quotations  from  the  Scriptures.  First  (25,  26), 
he  shews  that  the  calling  of  the  Gentiles  was  prophesied  ;  and 
secondly,  that  the  salvation  of  only  a  remnant  of  the  Jews  was 
anticipated  by  the  prophets  (27-29). 

25.  This  is  a  quotation  with  inversion  of  clauses  from  Hos. 
ii.  23  (LXX).  Hosea  was  bidden  call  a  son  Lo-ammi,  *  not  my 
people,'  and  a  daughter  Lo-ruhamah,  'without  mercy,'  to  intimate 
God's  rejection  and  desertion  of  the  Northern  kingdom.  But  he 
was  afterwards  told  to  prophesy  its  restoration  and  consolation,  as 
with  a  play  on  his  children's  symbolic  names  he  does  in  this 
passage.  Paul  applies  to  the  Gentiles  words  spoken  of  the 
Ten  Tribes,  but  this  is  said  to  have  been  done  by  Jewish  Rabbis 
before  him. 

26.  This  is  aquotation  from  Hos.  i.  10  (LXX).  Paul  adds  'there,' 
thus  laying  stress  on  the  reference  to  a  place.  He  may,  sharing 
Jewish  eschatological  conceptions,  mean  Palestine  as  the  gathering- 
place  of  the  nations,  or  more  probably  '  where '  and  *  there '  are 
indefinite.     Wherever  there  are  Gentiles  there  the  call  is. 

27.  28.  A  quotation  from  Isa.  x.  22,  23  (LXX),  which  is  con- 
siderably shortened.  The  Greek  differs  considerably  from  the 
Hebrew. 

27.  remnant.     One  of  Isaiah's  sons  was  called  Shear-jashub, 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  29  221 

his  word  upon  the  earth,  finishing  it  and  cutting  it  short. 

And,  as  Isaiah  hath  said  before,  29 

Except  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth  had  left  us  a  seed, 
\<t  had  become  as  Sodom,  and  had  been  made  like 
unto  Gomorrah. 


*  A  remnant  shall  return '  (vii.  3)  ;  and  this  doctrine  of  the 
remnant  played  so  large  a  part  in  his  teaching  that  he  represents 
it  as  included  in  the  commission  given  him  at  his  call  (vi,  13),  and 
he  repeats  it  again  and  again  (i.  9,  x.  20-22,  xi.  n-i6,  xxxvii.  4, 
31,  32).  In  the  second  part  of  the  Book  of  Isaiah  the  remnant  is 
mentioned  once  (xlvi.  3).  This  doctrine  is  found  already  in  Amos 
(v.  15)  and  Micah  (ii.  12,  iv.  7,  v.  7,  8,  vii.  18;.  It  appears  also  in 
Joel  (ii.  32),Zephaniah  (ii.  7.  9,  iii.  13),  Haggai(i.  12, 14),  Zechariah 
(viii.  6,  12).  Jeremiah  makes  frequent  use  of  the  conception 
(vi.  9,  xxiii.  3,  xxxi.  7,  xl.  11,  15,  xlii.  2,  15,  19,  xUii.  5) ;  Ezekiel 
also  refers  to  it  (v.  10,  vi.  8,  xiv.  22).  Not  the  unbelieving  many, 
but  the  faithful  fev^  are  the  object  of  God's  care,  the  agent  of  His 
purpose.  Stephen  takes  up  the  idea  in  his  speech  of  the  con- 
tinuous provocation  given  by  Israel  to  God  (Acts  vii.  51-53).  Paul 
returns  to  this  idea  in  xi.  5. 

28.  finisMng'  it  and  cutting-  it  short.  God's  judgement  will 
be  final  and  decisive ;  this  seems  the  meaning  of  the  difficult  phrase. 

29.  hath,  said  Ijefore :  hath  foretold,  although  the  English 
rendering  might  suggest  that  a  previous  allusion  v^-as  now  to  be 
quoted.  It  is  the  Greek  version  of  Isa.  i.  9  that  is  now  quoted. 
Greek  and  Hebrew  practically  agree.  Hebrew  has  '  a  small 
remnant,'  Greek  has  *  a  seed,'  but  the  connexion  is  given  in  vi.  13, 

*  the  holy  seed  is  the  stock  thereof.' 

Sabaoth.  The  Hebrew  word  means  'hosts,'  and  the  reference 
is  to  hosts  of  stars,  or  angels,  or  Israel.  Each  of  these  ideas 
ma}-^,  at  a  different  period  of  religious  development,  have  been 
associated  with  this  title. 

Sodom, .  .  .  Gomorrah.  (Gen.  xviii-xix.)  Allusions  to  this 
disaster  are  found  frequently  in  the  O.  T.  (Deut.  xxix.  23,  xxxii. 
32;  Isa.  xiii.  19  ;  Jer.  xlix.  18,  1.  40;  Lam.  iv.  6;  Amos  iv.  11 
Zeph.  ii.  9).  Our  Lord  refers  to  Sodom  as  a  conspicuous  illustra- 
tion of  Divine  judgement  (Matt.  xi.  23,  24;  Mark  \\.  11,  A.  V. ; 
Luke  x.  12). 

Paul's  Doctrine  of  Election  (ix.  i-29\ 

Paul  has  shewn  that  God  is  free  to  choose  whom  He  will  (6-13), 
that  He  has  actually  exercised  and  expressly  affirmed  His  right 
to  use  His  freedom  (14-18),  that  it  is  not  for  man  as  creature  to 


222  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  1-29 

criticize  or  challenge  the  action  of  God  as  Creator,  even  if 
God  used  this  right  absolutely  (19-21),  that  as  a  fact,  however, 
God  has  used  His  freedom  to  shew  patience  and  mercy  (22-24), 
and  that  God's  action  in  rejecting  Israel  and  accepting  the 
Gentiles  has  been  foretold  in  prophecy  (25-29).  Thus  Paul 
develops  the  first  stage  of  his  argument.  Although  it  can  be 
properly  understood  only  in  relation  to  the  two  other  stages,  that 
Israel's  fate  is  deserved,  and  that  God's  aim  in  all  is  mercy  for 
Jew  and  Gentile  alike,  yet  this  passage  by  itself  presents  so 
serious  difficulties  that  an  attempt  must  be  made  to  deal  with 
them  in  addition  to  what  the  notes  allowed.  The  difficulties  are 
not  relieved  by  affirming,  as  has  been  done,  that  Paul  is  not  dealing 
with  the  eternal  destiny  of  individuals,  but  with  the  historical 
functions  of  nations,  for  even  although  the  problem  is  the  temporal 
rejection  of  the  Jewish  nation,  yet  Paul  justifies  his  doctrine  of 
God's  freedom  in  election  by  individual  illustrations  (Isaac  chosen, 
Ishmael  not ;  Jacob  chosen,  Esau  not).  If  of  these  cases  it  can  be 
said  that  the  election  has  to  do  only  with  historical  function  as 
heir  of  the  promises  of  God,  the  plea  cannot  be  made  for  the 
next  illustrations,  Moses  and  Pharaoh,  for  the  determination  of 
moral  character  is  ultimately  the  decision  of  eternal  destiny.  It 
is  certain  Paul  did  not  intend  in  any  sense  to  limit  God's  freedom. 
When  he  speaks  of  '  vessels  of  wrath  fitted  unto  destruction,'  and 
'  vessels  of  mercy  which  he  afore  prepared  unto  glory,'  he  is  most 
certainly  dealing  with  the  eternal  destiny  of  individuals.  The 
following  considerations,  however,  have  to  be  taken  into  account. 
(i)  The  whole  passage  is  an  argutnentunt  ad  kominem.  It  appeals 
to  facts  recorded,  words  reported,  and  figures  of  speech  used  in 
the  Jewish  Scriptures  to  rebuke  Jewish  arrogance,  which  asserted 
a  claim  on  the  part  of  the  chosen  people  to  God's  continued  favour, 
irrespective  of  its  character.  Against  this  claim  of  rights,  un- 
becoming in  the  creature  towards  the  Creator,  Paul  bluntly  affirms 
that,  as  regards  God,  man  has  no  rights.  He  supports  his  position 
by  appeals  to  statements  in  the  Scriptures,  in  which  the  Divine 
sovereignty  is  without  qualification  affirmed,  without  inquiring 
whether  these  Scriptures  are  not  capable  of  another  explanation 
than  that  which  serves  his  immediate  purpose.  It  has  been  shewn 
in  the  notes  on  verses  11,  15,  17,  18,  that  only  a  strained  exegesis 
can  get  the  meaning  out  of  the  O.  T.  Scriptures  which  Paul  finds 
in  them.  On  so  controversial  a  use  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  no 
dogmatic  conclusions  of  permanent  validity  can  be  based.  (2) 
But  even  as  an  argument,  granting  the  Jewish  assumptions,  the 
passage  is  inconclusive.  Paul's  reasoning  breaks  in  his  own 
hands  ;  he  cannot  consistently  carry  it  out.  He  must  admit  that 
God  does  not  use  His  freedom  as  He  argues  that  He  may. 
Patience  and  beneficence  mark  God's  dealings  with  men.  Paul 
distinguishes  vessels  of  wrath  and  vessels  of  mercy,  vessels  unto 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  1-29  223 

dishonour  and  vessels  unto  honour,  and  his  image  of  the  potter 
suggests  that  God  absolutely  determines  to  which  class  each  man 
shall  belong.  Yet  it  is  noticeable  ( i)  that  he  distinguishes  vessels  unto 
dishonour  from  vessels  of  wrath,  the  former  refe-ring,  it  would 
seem,  to  historical  position,  the  latter  to  eternal  destiny ;  (ii)  that 
while  he  ascribes  the  preparation  of  the  vessels  of  mercy  unto 
glory  to  God,  he  abstains  from  describing  God  as  fitting  the  vessels 
of  wrath  unto  destruction,  and  here  he  uses  a  phrase  which  without 
affirming  yet  admits  the  recognition  of  individual  liberty  and 
personal  responsibility;  (iii)  that  the  different  constructions, 
'vessels  unto  dishonour'  and  'vessels  of  wrath,'  demand  a  dis- 
tinction in  the  interpretation,  the  former  asserting  a  Divine 
destination,  the  other  simply  affirming  an  actual  connexion. 
These  considerations  suggest  that  while  Paul  represents  God  as 
disposing  at  will  of  man's  earthly  lot,  yet  he  does  not  ascribe  to 
God  the  absolute  decision  of  man's  destiny  hereafter,  but  is 
compelled  to  admit  modifications  that  not  only  correct,  but  even 
contradict,  the  more  unqualified  statements.  If  we  look  more 
closely  at  the  metaphor  of  the  potter,  it  will  suggest  thoughts 
that  lead  us  beyond  this  doctrine  of  absolute  election  even  as 
regards  man's  earthly  lot.  He  would  be  a  foolish  and  wasteful 
potter  who  used  for  the  making  of  a  common  jar  a  clay  so  fine 
that  a  beautiful  vase  could  be  made  from  it.  A  master-workman's 
choice  depends  on  the  quality  of  the  material  he  is  handling.  God, 
as  potter,  can  be  trusted  to  be  a  noble  artist,  and  not  a  bungling 
artisan.  As  Creator  God  has  obligations  to  make  the  best  possible 
of  His  creatures.  Again,  the  vessel  unto  dishonour  which  the 
potter  makes  serves  a  purpose,  useful  if  less  ornamental  than  that 
assigned  to  the  vessel  unto  honour.  The  very  figure  of  speech 
refuses,  as  it  were,  to  bear  only  the  meaning  that  Paul's  con- 
troversial use  of  it  would  impose  upon  it.  Paul  thought  of  God  as 
love,  mercy,  grace,  goodness,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  our  Father  in  him.  This  arbitrary  omnipotent  potter  is  a 
caricature  of  controversy,  not  a  portrait  of  faith  ;  and  Paul  has 
himself  to  abandon  his  own  work.  (3)  This  proposition,  that 
God  does  as  He  wills,  is  only  one  of  three  forming  a  continuous 
argument;  it  is  virtually  retracted  in  what  follows,  for  in  the 
second  proposition  it  is  affirmed  that  man's  conduct  conditions 
God's  action,  and  in  the  third  that  the  motive  of  God's  action  is  not 
the  punishment  of  sin  and  the  reward  of  virtue  merely,  although 
even  that  would  lead  us  to  a  more  ethical  conception  of  God,  but 
His  purpose  to  save  and  bless  all,  the  truly  and  fully  evangelical 
conception.  If  God's  freedom  is  not  limited  altogether  by  man's 
deserts,  it  is  not  that  God  may  treat  him  worse,  but  that  He  does 
treat  him  far  better  than  he  deserves.  If  Paul  himself  retreats 
from  the  position  to  which  he  had  advanced  in  carrying  the  war 
into  the  enemy's  camp,  surely  we  do  not  need  to  defend  the 


224  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  1-29 

position  in  the  interests  of  Paul's  theology,  far  less  should  we  try 
to  represent  it  as  a  stronghold  of  the  Christian  faith  which  must 
be  held  at  all  costs.  (4)  While  it  is  quite  true  that  we  can  never 
give  an  exhaustive  explanation  of  the  differences  in  character  and 
circumstances  between  two  individuals,  and  we  must  admit  in  the 
lives  and  lots  of  men  an  inscrutable  operation  of  God's  providence, 
we  need  not  in  explanation  of  the  facts  fall  back  on  any  such 
doctrine  of  an  absolute  Divine  election.  God's  freedom  is  rational, 
"Tioral,  beneficent.  As  we  compare  Ishmael  with  Isaac,  or  Jacob 
A^ith  Esau,  we  recognize  that  Ishmael  and  Esau  were  '  profane 
persons,'  persons  without  a  due  sense  of  the  value  of  the  promise, 
and  therefore  the  needful  capacity  for  furthering  its  fulfilment. 
In  Moses  and  Pharaoh  alike  we  can  trace  a  moral  process  of 
development  and  deterioration,  which  maybe  summarily  described 
as  due  to  Divine  mercy  and  hardening,  but  which  can  also  be 
proved  to  be  the  inevitable  result  of  the  operation  of  laws  which 
God  has  in  His  infinite  and  eternal  perfection  imposed  on  human 
nature.  (5)  Paul  has  undoubtedly,  apart  from  all  controversy, 
a  doctrine  of  election,  both  in  regard  to  the  Jewish  nation,  and  in 
regard  to  Christian  believers,  (i)  He  accepts  the  O.  T.  teaching 
regarding  God's  choice  of  the  Jewish  nation  (Deut.  vii.  6;  Ps. 
cxxxv.  4  ;  Is.  xli.  8,  9)  as  an  act  of  Divine  condescension  (Deut. 
vii.  8,  X.  15;  Is.  xliv.  21,  22),  which  imposed  obligations  (Deut. 
vii.  9),  and  had  reference  to  the  good  of  other  nations  as  well 
(Gen.  xii.  3 ;  Isa.  Ixvi.  18).  He  refused  to  regard  with  con- 
temporary Judaism  this  election  as  a  bond  binding  God  to  the 
nation  (chap,  x)  irrespective  of  the  nation's  character,  and  he 
subordinated  the  election  of  Israel  to  God's  universal  purpose  of 
grace  (chap.  xi).  To  this  doctrine  no  exception  can  be  taken  ;  it 
is  simply  an  interpretation  of  historical  facts,  (ii)  But  Paul  has 
also  a  doctrine  of  election  regarding  Christian  believers.  God's 
foreknowledge  and  foreordination  came  before  God's  call  to  the 
individual  (viii.  28,  29).  In  Christ  believers  are  chosen  'before 
the  foundation  of  the  world '  (Eph.  i.  4).  The  aim  of  this  teaching 
is,  however,  to  give  the  believer  assurance  that  his  relation  to  God 
does  not  begin  in  time  with  his  faith  in  God's  grace,  but  is  deeply 
rooted,  firmly  fixed,  in  the  eternal  will  of  God.  No  speculative 
problem  is  thereby  solved,  but  a  practical  conviction  is  given. 
Paul  does  not  teach  that  God  foreknows,  foreordains,  or  elects 
any  man  unto  eternal  death.  The  responsibility  for  that  he 
throws  on  the  man  himself.  If  it  be  argued,  however,  that  it 
necessarily  follows  that  those  whom  God  omits  to  foreknow, 
foreordain,  and  elect  to  eternal  life  He  consciously  and  voluntarily 
leaves  to  perish,  the  answer  must  be  that  Paul  was  occupied 
solely  with  the  positive  aspect  of  the  doctrine ;  the  negative,  so 
far  as  his  writings  are  evidence,  never  arrested  his  attention. 
To  this  inference,  however,  we  may  oppose  the  undoubted  teach- 


TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  30  225 

What  shall  we  say  then  ?     That  the  Gentiles,  which  30 

ing  of  Scripture,  that  God  does  not  wish  'that  any  should  perish, 
but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance'  (2  Pet.  iii.  9);  that  the 
call  of  the  gospel  is  addressed  to  all,  so  that  '  whosoever  will  may 
*:ome'  (Rev.  xxii.  17)  ;  and  that  Paul's  express  statement  is  that 
*God  hath  shut  up  all  unto  disobedience,  that  he  might  have 
mercy  upon  all'  (xi.  32).  The  doctrine  of  individual  election 
and  the  doctrine  of  God's  universal  purpose  to  save  are  found 
side  by  side  in  Paul's  teaching.  He  does  not  harmonize  them, 
and  there  is  no  practical  necessity  that  he  should,  and  with 
©peculative  consistency  Paul  did  not  concern  himself.  In  the 
same  way  Divine  sovereignty  and  human  freedom  are  both 
affirmed,  but  their  relation  is  not  explained.  We  may  leave  the 
problems  he  left  unsolved,  having  tried  to  shew  that  his  teaching 
on  election  does  not  justify  the  Calvinistic  interpretation. 

(2)  ix.  30— X.  21.      The  J ew^  failure  through  unbelief. 

Having  stated  the  one  aspect  of  the  problem  of  history,  the 
Divine  sovereignty,  Paul  turns  to  the  other  aspect,  the  human 
responsibility.  He  places  these  two  aspects  side  by  side  without 
any  attempt  to  shew  their  unity,  (i)  In  shewing  that  the  Jews 
deserved  their  rejection,  Paul  first  of  all  states  the  case  briefly 
(ix.  30-33).  (ii)  Next,  after  again  asserting  his  interest  in  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  his  countrymen,  he  shews  that  their  efforts 
have  been  zealous  but  not  inteUigent,  self-willed  and  not  obedient, 
for  they  have  failed  to  recognize  (a)  that  Christ  brings  the  period 
of  law  to  a  close,  (6)  that  the  way  of  salvation  is  simple  and  easy, 
and  (c)  that  salvation  is  free  to  all,  Jew  and  Gentile  alike 
(x.  1-13).  (iii)  Lastly,  here  he  proves  that  this  unbelief  is 
without,  excuse,  because  (a)  the  messengers  of  the  gospel  have 
gone  forth,  (6)  the  Jews  have  not  heeded  the  gospel,  although 
it  has  been  preached  in  the  world,  (c)  the  prophets  warned  them 
against  the  very  unbelief  of  which  they  are  now  guilty  (x.  14-21). 

(i)  ix.  30-33.  The  case  of  Jewish  unbelief  stated.  While  the 
Gentiles  have  found  what  they  did  not  seek,  the  Jews  have  not 
found  what  they  sought,  even  acceptance  as  righteous  before 
God  :  because  they  sought  it,  not  by  faith,  but  by  works,  so 
that,  as  had  been  foretold,  the  Messiah  became  a  stumblingblock 
to  them. 

30.  What  shall  we  say  then?  This  question  introduces  the 
summing  up  of  the  previous  argument  with  a  view  to  starting  on 
a  new  line  of  thought.  It  is  usually  followed  by  another  question. 
The  second  question  here  is,  '  Shall  we  say  that  the  Gentiles,'  &c.  ? 
and  the  answer  is  assumed,  '  Yes.'  Then  follows  a  third  question, 
'  Wherefore  ? ' 


226  TO  THE  ROMANS  9.  31-33 

followed  not  after  righteousness,  attained  to  righteous- 

31  ness,  even  the  righteousness  which  is  of  faith:  but  Israel, 
following  after  a  law  of  righteousness,  did  not  arrive  at 

32  that  law.      Wherefore  ?      Because  they  sought  it  not  by 
faith,  but  as  it  were  by  works.     They  stumbled  at  the 

33  stone  of  stumbling ;  even  as  it  is  written, 

followed  ...  a  ttained.  These  words  go  together  in  Paul's  use 
to  express  pursuing  and  overtaking,  and  are  borrowed  from  the 
race-course,  as  are  other  words  used  by  him  (i  Cor.  ix.  24  ; 
Phil.  iii.  12).  The  Gentiles  had  no  special  revelation  to  guide 
them,  even  the  light  of  conscience  was  disregarded  by  them, 
and  yet  when  salvation  was  offered  to  them  in  the  gospel,  they 
welcomed  it 

righteousness  which  is  of  faith :  iii.  22,  'the  righteousness 
of  God,'  not  moral  perfection,  but  acceptance  before  God. 

21.  law  of  righteousness:  a  code  of  precepts,  obedience  to 
which  would  make  righteous. 

arrive.     The  goal,  as  it  were,  always  receded  from  them. 

law.  This  is  a  rather  unexpected  turn  of  thought ;  we  should 
have  expected  Paul  to  say,  'did  not  attain  righteousness.'  The 
Jews  believed  themselves  to  be  in  possession  of  a  law  which, 
if  obeyed,  would  make  them  righteous ;  but  Paul  here  says  that 
no  code  of  principles  could  ever  be  got  by  man  which  would 
secure  this  righteousness.  Righteousness  cannot  be  got  along 
the  path  of  legal  observance. 

32.  Because.  Two  constructions  of  this  verse  are  possible: 
(i)  as  in  the  text  of  the  R.V.,  we  may  supply  the  finite  verb  'they 
sought  it,'  and  put  a  full  stop  at  '  works ' ;  or  (2)  as  in  the  margin  of 
the  R.  v.,  we  may  supply  the  participle  'doing  it,'  and  put  only 
a  comma  at  '  works.'  The  sense  is  the  same,  but  probably  the 
former  construction  is  simpler  and  easier. 

as  it  were  :  Paul  introduces  this  qualifying  phrase  to  indicate 
that  it  was  only  in  the  opinion  of  the  Jews,  and  never  in  reality, 
that  righteousness  could  be  got  by  works.  The  Jews  failed 
because  they  attempted  the  impossible.  There  is  not  a  choice  of 
ways,  faith  and  works,  but  only  one  way,  faith. 

stumbled  at:  'were  annoyed  with,'  'shewed  irritation  at.' 
This  was  the  disastrous  consequence  of  their  mistake.  Because 
Christ  came  to  bestow  righteousness  on  all  who  sought  it  by 
faith,  those  who  were  seeking  it  by  works  misunderstood,  were 
made  angry  by,  set  themselves  against  him. 

stone  of  stujnhling-.  This  phrase  means  a  stone  which  causes 
offence ;  but  the  offence  was  not  necessarily  and  essentially 
in  the  stone,  but  rather  in  the  mood  and  attitude  of  those  to  whom 


TO  THE  ROMANS   10.  i  227 

Behold,  I  lay  in  Zion  a  stone  of  stumbling  and  a 

rock  of  offence : 
And  he  that  believeth  on  him  shall  not  be  put  to 
shame. 
Brethren,  my  heart's  desire  and  my  supplication  lo  10 

it  proved  an  offence.  Christ  crucified,  while  the  power  and 
the  wisdom  of  God  to  them  that  beHeve,  was  a  'scandal,'  a  snare, 
a  trap  to  the  Jews  (i  Cor.  i.  23). 

33.  The  quotation  combines  the  Greek  version  of  Isa.  xxviii, 
16  and  of  Isa.  viii.  14.  Paul  makes  several  changes:  he  inserts 
part  of  the  second  passage  into  the  midst  of  the  first,  from  which 
he  omits  a  number  of  words  ;  he  adds  the  words  on  him  to 
emphasize  the  reference  of  the  quotation  to  Christ ;  he  gives  the 
Greek  and  not  the  Hebrew  of  the  last  word,  'shall  not  be  put 
to  shame '  instead  of  *  shall  not  make  haste '  (which  is  either 
a  mistranslation  of  the  Hebrew  by  the  Greek  or  presupposes 
another  Hebrew  text),  the  sense  remaining  unaffected.  According 
to  the  Hebrew  original,  the  believer,  confident  in  Jehovah,  does 
not  allow  himself  to  get  into  a  flurry  or  hurry,  but  waits  patiently 
on  God.  According  to  the  Greek  version  the  believer  does  not 
find  his  confidence  misplaced,  is  not  disappointed.  The  reference 
in  the  original  context  of  the  passage  is  to  Jehovah,  and  not  to 
the  Messiah ;  but  as  the  words  in  Ps.  cxviii.  22,  '  The  stone 
which  the  builders  rejected  is  become  the  head  stone  of  the 
corner,'  very  soon  got  a  Messianic  reference  (Matt.  xxi.  42 ;  Mark 
xii.  10;  Luke  xx.  17,  by  our  Lord  Himself;  Acts  iv.  11  by  Peter), 
other  passages  in  which  the  figure  of  a  stone  is  used  came  to  be 
regarded  as  Messianic.  It  is  even  probable  that  '  The  Stone '  was 
a  title  for  the  Messiah  among  the  Jews.  In  Eph.  ii.  20  Christ  is 
spoken  of  as  *  the  chief  corner-stone.'  Paul  quotes  the  first 
passage  again  in  x.  11  ;  and  in  i  Pet.  ii.  6,  7,  the  two  passages, 
which  he  here  fuses  together,  are  quoted  separately  along  with 
the  passage  from  Ps.  cxviii.  22.  This  can  scarcely  be  a  mere 
coincidence,  and  the  explanation  is  either  that  Peter  was  familiar 
with  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  (a  conclusion  for  which  other 
good  reasons  can  be  given),  or  that  both  Paul  and  Peter  used 
a  selection  of  passages  from  the  O.  T.,  all  of  which  were  assumed 
to  have  a  Messianic  purpose,  and  which  had  been  collected  for 
convenience  of  use  in  controversy  with  Jews. 

(ii)  X.  1-13.  The  causes  of  the  Jews'  failure.  Paul  prays 
heartily  for  the  salvation  of  his  own  fellow  countrymen,  for  he 
knows  that,  however  mistaken,  they  are  in  earnest,  although  by 
their  ignorance  of  God's  will  and  their  attachment  to  their  own 

Q   2 


228  TO  THE  ROMANS   10.  2 

2  God  is  for  them,  that  they  may  be  saved.     For  I  bear 
them  witness  that  they  have  a  zeal  for  God,  but  not 

way  they  are  opposing  themselves  to  God's  purpose ;  for  they 
fail  to  admit  (a)  that  Christ  has  put  an  end  to  the  period  of  law, 
(b)  that  it  is  not  by  law  but  by  faith  that  salvation  is  to  be 
attained,  for  as  Christ  has  done  and  suffered  all  needful  for  man's 
salvation,  all  man  needs  to  be  saved  is  belief  in,  issuing  in  confession 
of  him,  and  (c)  that  this  salvation,  as  it  is  of  faith,  is  for  all,  of 
whatever  race  they  may  be. 

1.  Paul's  personal  assurance  here  has  probably  led  to  the 
division  of  the  chapter  at  this  point,  as  we  find  a  similar  personal 
reference  at  the  beginning  of  chap,  ix,  and  again  of  chap,  xi ; 
but,  as  we  have  already  seen,  the  second  stage  of  the  argument 
in  this  division  begins  with  verse  30  in  chap.  ix.  Paul  has  in 
these  verses,  30-33,  brought  a  serious  charge  against  his  own 
nation,  and  so  here  he  inserts  this  personal  assurance  in  the 
course  of  his  argument,  both  to  relieve  his  own  intense  feeling 
of  sorrow,  and  to  assure  his  readers  that  one  who  loves  his  own 
people  as  he  does  would  bring  no  charges  against  it,  unless 
under  the  strongest  compulsion  or  absolute  necessity. 

Brethren.  He  appeals  to  the  Christian  brotherhood,  from 
which  the  Jews  are  excluding  themselves,  and  which  he  himself 
so  values  that  he  desires  his  natural  to  be  also  his  spiritual 
kindred. 

desire:  rather  as  the  R.  V.  marg.,  'good  pleasure,'  for  the 
word  never  means  '  desire '  merely. 

that  they  may  be  saved :  hi.  '  unto  salvation.' 

2.  I  hear  them  witness.  Paul  having  once  been  himself  an 
unbelieving  Jew  understands  the  position  of  the  Jews. 

zeal  for  God.  Cf.  Ps.  Ixix.  9,  cxix.  139.  Paul  claims  th  s 
zeal  for  himself  (Acts  xxii.  3  ;  Gal.  i.  14  ;  Phil.  iii.  6).  The  Jew 
prided  himself  on  his  zeal ;  the  Gentiles  despised  what  they 
regarded  as  his  fanaticism.  A  passage  in  illustration  of  Paul's 
words  has  been  quoted  from  Josephus  :  'The  Jew  knows  the  law 
better  than  his  own  name  .  .  .  The  sacred  rules  were  punctually 
observed  .  .  .  The  great  feasts  were  frequented  by  countless 
thousands  .  .  .  Over  and  above  the  requirements  of  the  law, 
ascetic  religious  exercises  advocated  by  the  teachers  of  the  law 
came  into  vogue  .  . .  Even  the  Hellenized  and  Alexandrian  Jews 
under  Caligula  died  on  the  cross  and  by  fire,  and  the  Palestinian 
prisoners  in  the  last  war  died  by  the  claws  of  African  lions  in  the 
amphitheatre,  rather  than  sin  against  the  law.  What  Greek 
would  do  the  like  ?  .  .  .  The  Jews  also  exhibited  an  ardent  zeal 
for  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  to  the  Law  of  Moses.  The 
proselytes  filled  Asia  Minor  and  Syria,  and — to  the  indignation 


TO  THE  ROMANS    10.  3,4  229 

according  to  knowledge.     For  being  ignorant  of  God's  3 
righteousness,  and  seeking  to  establish  their  own,  they 
did  not  subject  themselves  to  the  righteousness  of  God. 
For  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law  unto  righteousness  to  4 

of  Tacitus — Italy  and  Rome.'  A  similar  testimony  is  borne  by 
Heb.  xi.  32-38,  a  passage  which  refers  not  only  to  heroes 
mentioned  in  the  O.  T.,  but  specially  to  martyrs  in  the  time  of 
the  Maccabees. 

knowledge :  rather,  *  discernment.'  The  same  word  is  used  at 
i.  28  and  iii.  20.  Col.  i.  9  gives  an  indication  of  what  is  meant 
by  the  word,  '  that  ye  may  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  his 
will  in  all  spiritual  wisdom  and  understanding.'  The  Jews  knew 
the  law  and  the  prophets,  but  they  had  no  true  insight  into  the 
meaning  of  God's  words  and  works. 

3.  Tot.  Spiritual  discernment  would  have  come  with  moral 
submission.  If  they  had  done  the  will,  they  would  have  known 
the  doctrine  that  it  was  of  God  ;  but  because  they  were  dis- 
obedient, therefore  they  remained  undiscerning. 

ignorant.  Paul  here  simply  states  the  fact  of  ignorance, 
that  it  was  culpable  ignorance  he  implies,  although  he  expressly 
states  this  in  verses  14  and  15. 

God's  righteousness.  Not  God's  personal  perfection,  but 
God's  way  of  righteousness  for  sinners,  the  way  of  faith  which 
the  Jew  would  not  take,  because  he  wanted  righteousness,  not 
as  a  gift  of  grace,  but  as  the  reward  of  merit. 

subject  themselves.  Faith  is  not  merely  an  intellectual  or 
emotional  process,  it  must  also  include  the  exercise  of  the  will 
in  submission  to  the  authority  of  God.  This  initial  act  of 
obedience  determines  the  attitude  of  the  subsequent  life.  Jas. 
iv.  7,  '  Be  subject  .  .  .  unto  God.' 

4.  Paul  now  gives  the  three  reasons  why  the  Jews  were  in 
error  and  wrong  in  not  submitting  themselves  to  God's  righteous- 
ness, (i)  The  way  of  the  law  had  been  closed  (verse  4).  (2) 
The  way  of  faith  had  been  opened  (5-10).  Consequentl3'  (3) 
The  way  is  now  open  to  all  (ii-i3\ 

the  end.  This  means  not  fulfilment,  but  termination.  With 
Christ  the  legal  period  in  man's  relation  to  God  ceases  and  is 
abolished.  Law  is  regarded  in  Eph.  ii.  15  as  the  barrier  between 
Jew  and  Gentile  which  Christ  has  abolished  in  order  that  his 
salvation  might  be  a  universal  good.  The  same  inference  is 
drawn  in  verses  11-13  of  this  chapter.  The  salvation  is  universal 
because  not  legal.  Commandments,  ordinances,  institutions,  dis- 
tinguish and  divide  nations ;  a  spiritual  attitude,  such  as  faith,  can 
alone  unite.     Again  Paul  declares,  in  Col.  ii.   14,  that  Christ, 


230  TO  THE  ROMANS   10.  5,6 

5  every  one  that  believeth.   For  Moses  writeth  that  the  man 
that  doeth  the  righteousness  which  is  of  the  law  shall  live 

6  thereby.    But  the  righteousness  which  is  of  faith  saith  thus, 

*  having  blotted  out  the  bond  written  in  ordinances  that  was 
against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us :  hath  taken  it  .  .  .  away, 
nailing  it  to  the  cross.' ...  As  law  must  always  demand  more  than 
man  can  render,  its  sole  result  is  condemnation,  but  salvation  can 
never  be  reached  by  way  of  the  law.  Law  may  promise  life 
(verse  5),  but  what  it  actually  brings  is  a  curse  (Gal.  iii.  10),  and 
'  Christ  has  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of  the  law.'  Termination 
then  is  the  only  suitable  sense  for  the  word  rendered  'end.'  It 
cannot  mean  fulfilment,  for  another  word  from  the  same  root  is 
used  to  express  this  meaning  ;  nor  can  it  mean  goal  or  object,  for 
although  the  law  is  called  the  tutor  to  bring  us  to  Ciirist  (Gal. 
iii.  24),  yet  only  in  one  other  place  (i  Tim.  i.  5,  'But  the  end 
of  the  charge  is  love')  has  the  word  this  unusual  sense.  The 
context  here  shews  that  Paul  is  seeking  to  emphasize  the  contrast 
between  law  and  Christ,  and  not  the  connexion,  which  elsewhere 
he  may  recognize. 

the  law:  rather,  'law.'  The  Greek  has  no  article,  the 
reference  is  not  to  the  Mosaic  law  in  particular,  but  to  the 
principle  of  law  generally.  Not  only  has  the  Jewish  law  ceased 
to  be  authoritative  for  the  Christian,  but  his  relation  to  God  in 
Christ  has  ceased  to  be  in  any  sense  a  legal  one  ;  the  indwelling 
Spirit  takes  the  place  of  outward  commands. 

unto  rigfhteousness.  Christ  abolishes  the  law  that  righteous- 
ness, acceptance  before  God,  may  be  attainable  by  all  on  the  sole 
condition  of  faith. 

5-10.  The  one  way  of  righteousness— by  law — has  been 
abolished  in  order  that  the  other  way— by  faith — may  be 
established,  because  the  two  are  antagonistic,  mutually  exclusive. 
This  contrast  Paul  now  displays  in  language  drawn  from  the 
O.  T.  which  he  has,  however,  freely  adapted  to  his  purpose. 

5.  The  words  are  adapted  from  Lev.  xviii.  5.  These  words 
are  quoted  to  shew  tliat  the  blessing  is  conditional  on  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  law,  the  keeping  of  all  its  commandments  ;  and  this, 
in  chaps,  i-iii,  Paul  has  shewn  has  never  been  done,  and  can 
never  be  done  (cf.  vii.  14"!. 

shall  live:  enjoy  life  in  its  fullest  measure  here  and 
hereafter. 

6.  the  righteousness  w3aich  is  of  faith.  Paul  does  not 
introduce  his  free  adaptation  cf  words  from  the  law  as  words  of 
Scripture,  or  as  words  of  Moses,  for  he  must  have  recognized  that 
the  use  he  made  of  these  words  was  too  remote  from  the  original 
intention  to  justify  either  form  of  quotation  ;    but  he  personifies 


TO  THE  ROMANS   10.  6  231 

Say  not  in  thy  heart,  Who  shall  ascend  into  heaven?  (that 

the  new  order  of  grace  through  faith,  and  puts  the  words 
descriptive  of  it  into  its  own  mouth.  A  similar  personification  of 
wisdom  is  found  in  Prov.  i.  20  and  Luke  xi.  49,  and  of  exhorta- 
tion in  Heb.  xii.  5.  The  quotation  thus  partly  adopted  in  the 
Greek  version  (Deut.  xxx.  11-14)  reads,  'For  this  commandment 
which  I  command  thee  this  day,  it  is  not  too  hard  for  thee,  nor 
is  it  far  from  thee.  Not  in  heaven  above,  saying,  Who  shall  go 
up  for  us  into  heaven,  and  receive  it  for  us,  and  having  heard  of  it 
we  shall  do  it  ?  Nor  is  it  beyond  the  sea,  saying,  Who  will  go 
over  to  the  further  side  of  the  sea  for  us,  and  receive  it  for  us, 
and  make  it  heard  by  us,  and  we  shall  do  it?  But  the  word 
is  very  nigh  thee,  in  thy  mouth,  and  in  thy  heart,  and  in  thy 
hands  that  thou  mayest  do  it.'  It  is  to  be  noted  :  (i)  that  Paul 
selects  only  certain  words  (the  words  italicized  above) ;  (2)  that 
he  introduces  some  alterations  :  (a)  for  '  saying '  he  introduces 
'  Say  not  in  thy  heart'  from  Deut.  viii.  17,  ix.  4  ;  ib)  for  *  Who  will 
go  over  to  the  further  side  of  the  sea'  he  boldly  substitutes  words 
more  appropriate  to  his  purpose,  'Who  shall  descend  into  the 
abyss';  (c)  he  omits  'very'  before  'nigh,'  and  'in  thy  hands  that 
thou  mayest  do  it '  after  '  heart,'  as  that  clause  belongs  to  the  legal 
standpoint ;  (3)  that  he  gives  the  words  so  selected  quite  another 
application  than  that  originally  intended,  for  the  aim  of  the 
passage  in  Deuteronomy  is  to  shew  that  the  law  is  not  a  grievous 
burden,  but  that  its  yoke  is  easy.  Pharisaism  regarded  the  law 
from  the  standpoint  of  a  rigid  and  oppressive  legalism,  and  Paul 
as  a  Pharisee  seldom  gets  away  from  that  standpoint.  There  was, 
however,  another  way  of  looking  at  the  law,  the  way  taken  by 
many  of  the  saints  of  the  Old  Covenant,  and  so  regarded,  the  law 
and  the  gospel  are  not  so  opposed  as  Paul  in  the  course  of  his 
argument  here  represents  them  to  be.  That  his  attitude  is  in 
some  measure  artificial  is  clearly  shewn  by  the  fact  that  he  can 
use  words  originally  intended  to  represent  the  law  as  gracious  to 
describe  the  gospel  which  he  opposes  to  the  law.  The  serious 
objection  that,  from  the  standpoint  of  modern  exegetical  method, 
may  be  taken  to  his  procedure  may  be  met  by  the  following 
considerations:  (i)  no  stress  is  laid  on  the  fact  that  the  O.  T. 
is  being  quoted;  (2)  the  usual  formula  of  quotation  is  omitted; 
(3)  the  quotation  is  very  free  ;  (4)  the  clauses  quoted  had  probably 
become  almost  proverbial ;  (5)  he  sometimes  uses  words  of 
Scripture  not  in  a  logical  demonstration,  but  as  a  literary  device — 
familiar  language  may  commend  unfamiliar  thought.  We  need 
not  say,  therefore,  that  this  is  Rabbinic  exegesis.  Paul,  by  using 
words  from  the  law,  tacitly  admits  that  the  Pharisaic  view  did  not 
see  all  in  the  law  that  was  to  be  seen ;  even  the  law  had  in  itself 
evangeUcal  elements. 


232  TO  THE  ROMANS   10.  7,  8 

7  is,  to  bring  Christ  down  :)  or,  Who  shall  descend  into  the 
^  abyss  ?  (that  is,  to  bring  Christ  up  from  the  dead.)     But 

tliat  is.  There  are  many  interpretations  of  the  phrase 
offered,  but  only  two  demand  notice,  (i)  There  is  the  interpreta- 
tion suggested  by  the  punctuation  of  the  R.  V.  text,  '  To  say  in 
the  heart,  Who  shall  ascend  into  heaven  1  (who  shall  attain 
glory  and  blessedness  by  his  own  effort?)  is  equivalent  to  denying 
that  Christ  has  ascended  ;  it  is  a  bringing  of  Christ  down  from  his 
throne.'  This  sense  of  the  phrase  'that  is'  is  possible  here  and 
in  the  next  verse,  but  is  inappropriate  in  verse  8  ;  but  this  does 
not  seem  a  fatal  objection,  as  the  construction  in  verse  8  is 
different  from  that  in  verses  6  and  7,  for  'that  is'  is  not  there 
followed  by  an  infinitive.  As  Paul  is -not  here,  however,  repre- 
senting legalism  as  a  denial  of  the  Christian  facts — and  this  is  what 
this  interpretation  involves— we  may  turn  to  the  second  interpreta- 
tion. (2)  'To  bring  Christ  down  '  is  a  definition  of  the  purpose  of 
the  ascent  into  heaven  introduced  for  the  sake  of  emphasis  by 
this  phrase,  which  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  an  explanation  is 
being  given.  The  sense  on  this  construction  is,  Faith  does  not 
ask.  How  is  Christ  to  be  got  to  come  down  from  heaven  to  become 
man  for  man's  salvation,  for  it  knows  that  Christ  has  already  come. 
Man  does  not  bring  about  the  Incarnation  by  his  own  effort ; 
by  faith  he  accepts  the  fact,  and  all  that  it  involves  for  his 
salvation. 

7.  Who  sliall  descend  into  the  abyss?  Paul  substitutes  this 
for  'Who  will  go  over  to  the  further  side  of  the  sea'  for  two 
reasons,  (i)  The  abyss  and  heaven  form  a  striking  contrast. 
(2)  The  descent  into  the  abyss  at  once  recalls  Christ's  descent  into 
Hades,  the  world  of  the  dead.  *  Abyss '  is  used  in  the  Greek  version 
of  the  O.  T.  for  '  the  depths  of  the  sea  *  in  Ps.  cvii.  26,  for  '  the 
lowest  parts  of  the  earth '  in  Ps.  Ixxi.  20.  In  the  N.  T.  it  is  used 
of  the  abode  of  demons  (Luke  viii.  31)  and  the  place  of  torment 
(Rev.  ix.  i).  With  this  contrast  of  an  ascent  and  a  descent 
cf.  Eph.  iv.  9,  10. 

that  is,  to  bring  Christ  up  from  the  dead.  Two  interpreta- 
tions here  again  claim  notice,  (i)  'To  say  in  the  heart,  Who 
shall  descend  into  the  abyss  (that  is,  who  shall  endure  the  penalty 
of  sin  for  himself)  is  equivalent  to  denying  that  Christ  has  gone 
down  among  the  dead,  that  he  has  endured  all  that  need  be 
endured  on  account  of  sin.'  For  the  same  reason  as  in  the  previous 
verse  this  interpretation  may  be  set  aside.  (2)  The  true  interpreta- 
tion is  as  follows  :  '  Faith  does  not  ask,  How  is  Christ  to  be  raised 
from  the  dead,  for  it  knows  that  Christ  has  risen.'  As  powerless 
as  man  is  to  bring  about  his  Incarnation,  so  is  he  to  bring  about 
the  Resurrection.  Man  can  do  nothing,  God  does  all.  Faith  is 
the  recognition  of  man's  insufficiency,  of  God's  sufficiency. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   10.  9-ir  233 

what  saith  it  ?     The  word  is  nigh  thee,  in  thy  mouth, 
and  in  thy  heart :  that  is,  the  word  of  faith,  which  we 
preach  :  because  if  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth   9 
Jesus  as  Lord,  and  shalt  beheve  in  thy  heart  that  God 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved :  for  with  10 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness;  and  with 
the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation.     For  the  n 
scripture  saith,  Whosoever  believeth  on  him  shall  not  be 

8.  the  word  of  faith  :  not  the  message  of  the  faith,  the  teaching 
that  is  to  be  believed,  nor  yet  the  message  which  appeals  to  faith, 
but  the  message  which  requires  faith,  and  faith  only  as  the  condition 
of  salvation. 

whicli  ws  preach.  The  clause  is  added  to  shew  that  the 
gospel  is  not  unknown,  but  can  be  known  by  all,  if  they  will  but 
hear.  This  thought  that  the  Jews  cannot  excuse  themselves  on 
the  ground  of  ignorance  is  more  fully  developed  in  verses  14-21. 

9.  This  verse  explains  the  quotation,  'The  word  is  nigh  thee,  in 
thy  mouth,  and  in  thy  heart.'  As  mouth  is  mentioned  before 
heart,  Paul  speaks  of  confession  of  Christ  before  belief  in  Christ, 
although  the  actual  order  is  first  faith,  then  confession.  The 
confession  of  Christ's  lordship  is  suggested  by  verse  6,  which 
represents  heaven  as  Christ's  home ;  the  belief  in  his  resurrection 
by  verse  7,  which  affirms  that  he  is  not  in  the  abyss ;  and  these 
two  facts  again  are  suggested  by  the  words  quoted,  so  that  we 
have  here  not  theological  formulation,  but  literary  association. 
Nevertheless  belief  in  the  Resurrection  as  the  confirmation  of 
Christ's  claims,  as  the  Divine  seal  on  his  sacrifice,  was  an  essential 
element  in  Christian  faith  ;  and  the  confession  of  Christ's  lord- 
ship was  a  necessary  condition  of  membership  in  the  Christian 
Church.  If  the  reading  of  the  R.  V.  margin,  '  confess  the  word 
with  thy  mouth  that  Jesus  is  Lord,'  be  correct,  then  we  have 
here  the  simplest,  earliest,  and  briefest  confession,  of  which  the 
more  elaborate  creeds  are  developments. 

10.  Paul,  it  is  evident,  attaches  little  value  to  belief  that  does 
not  issue  in  confession.  If  he  had  been  asked  which  condition 
was  primary,  he  would  probably  have  put  faith  first,  but  would 
also  have  insisted  on  confession  as  its  necessary  issue. 

the  heart:  the  seat  of  the  inner  life  of  thought,  feeling, 
wishing,  and  willing.     Faith  involves  a  complete  inward  change. 

11.  Paul  again  quotes  the  words  from  Isa.  xxviii.  16  to  shew 
that  faith  is  the  condition  of  salvation,  but  the  words  suggest 
another  aspect  of  the  gospel,  its  universality,  to  which  he  now 
turns. 


234  TO  THE  ROMANS    10.   12-14 

12  put  to  shame.     For  there  is  no  distinction  between  Jew 
and  Greek  :  for  the  same  Lord  is  Lord  of  all,  and  is  rich 

13  unto  all  that  call  upon  him :   for,  Whosoever  shall  call 
1. 1  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved.     How  then 

12.  Having  shewn  in  iii.  22,  23,  that  all  alike  need  the  gospel, 
he  now  shews  that  the  gospel  is  for  all :  but  the  universality  of 
the  gospel  is  here  proved  by  Christ's  universal  lordship,  not  man's 
universal  need. 

Ziord  of  all.  Christ  must  be  referred  to  (i  Cor.  xii.  5 ;  Acts 
X.  36;  Phil.  ii.  10,  11). 

rich :  in  spiritual  gifts  and  blessings  (Eph.  iii.  8). 

that  call  upon  him.  As  prayer  to  any  deity  began  with  an 
address  to  him  by  name,  the  worshipper  is  he  who  calls  on  the 
god's  name.  The  Hebrews  were  those  who  called  on  Jehovah. 
The  Christians,  as  calling  on  Christ,  are  his  worshippers  (i  Cor.  i. 
2).  This  necessarily  involves  a  recognition  of  his  divinity,  as  only 
God  can  be  worshipped. 

13.  The  quotation  is  taken  from  Joel  ii.  32.  In  the  original  the 
reference  is  to  salvation  from  judgement  and  punishment  in  '  the 
great  and  terrible  day  of  the  Lord '  by  worship  of  Jehovah.  Paul 
not  only  calls  Christ  Lord,  but  transfers  to  him  passages  from  the 
O.  T.  which  refer  to  Jehovah  (2  Thess.  i.  9 ;  i  Cor.  ii.  16,  x.  22-26 ; 
2  Cor.  iii.  16). 

(iii)  X.  14-21.  The  Jew^  unbelief  without  excuse.  The  R.  V. 
does  not  begin  a  fresh  paragraph  at  verse  14,  but  attaches  verses 
14  and  15  to  the  preceding  passage.  This  division  is  determined 
by  another  interpretation  of  the  import  of  these  verses  than  that 
which  is  here  adopted.  The  verses  are  regarded  as  a  justification 
of  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles.  If  the  gospel  is 
intended  for  all,  as  is  implied  in  'whosoever'  in  verse  13,  then  it 
should  be  preached  to  all.  Paul's  Gentile  ministry  is  thus  justified. 
But  this  would  be  a  digression,  not  by  any  means  impossible 
according  to  Paul's  literary  methods,  but  not  to  be  assumed  unless 
no  other  interpretation  is  possible.  Paul  is  not  dealing  with  the 
mission  to  the  Gentiles  at  all  in  this  section,  he  is  treating  the 
unbelief  of  the  Jews.  Hence  it  is  more  probable  that  these  veri^s 
have  some  reference  to  this  subject.  If  we  attach  these  verses  to 
the  passage  which  follows  we  can  get  an  interpretation  consistent 
with  the  context.  Paul  proves  the  unbelief  of  the  Jews  in  a 
series  of  questions  with  answers  quoted  from  prophecy,  and  so 
deprives  the  Jews  of  any  excuse  for  their  unbelief,  (i)  Were  the 
messengers  of  the  gospel  sent?  Yes,  for  their  joy  is  described 
(14,  15).  (2)  Could  they  have  truly  heard,  since  they  have  not 
believed  ?     Yes,  for  preaching  may  be  heard  and  not  believed 


TO  THE  ROMANS   10.  15  235 

shall  they  call  on  him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed  ? 
and  how  shall  they  believe  in  him  whom  they  have  not 
heard?  and  how  shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher?  and  15 
how  shall  they  preach,  except  they  be  sent  ?  even  as  it  is 
written,  How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them  that  bring 
glad  tidings  of  good  things  ! 

(16,  17).  (3)  Are  you  quite  sure  that  they  did  hear?  Yes,  for 
the  gospel  has  been  preached  everywhere  (18).  (4)  If  they 
heard,  did  they  fully  understand  ?  Yes  ;  the  Gentiles,  not  prepared 
as  they  for  the  message,  have  understood  and  believed  (19-21), 
and  their  unbelief  is  due  to  their  wilfulness.  It  is  not  at  aW 
necessary  to  disprove  the  forced  interpretation  of  these  words, 
which  would  see  in  them  an  argument  for  an  apostolic  ministry. 
Ecclesiastical  organization  is  an  interest  remote  from  the  mind  of 
Paul.  The  Jews  cannot  plead  ignorance  of  the  gospel  as  an 
excuse  for  their  unbelief;  for  (a)  as  the  messengers  have  been 
sent,  have  preached,  have  been  heard,  they  might,  if  they  would, 
have  believed,  and  called  on  the  Lord  (14,  15) ;  (6)  as  foretold  in 
prophecy  they  have  heard,  and  not  heeded  (16,  17) ;  (c)  they  must 
have  heard,  as  the  gospel  has  been  everywhere  preached  (18) ; 
and  {d)  as  God  had  warned  them  of  their  unbelief,  and  had 
foretold  the  faith  of  the  Gentiles,  they  were  in  a  position  to 
understand  God's  dealings  with  them  (19-21). 

14.  Kow  then.  Having  stated  the  universality  of  the  Christian 
salvation,  Paul  now  discusses  the  conditions  which  must  be  fulfilled, 
if  it  is  to  be  appropriated.  The  first  of  these  is  that  the  gospel 
must  have  been  preached. 

whom.  Faith  is  in  Christ,  but  it  is  the  preacher  of  Christ 
who  is  heard ;  Paul  here  identifies  Christ  and  his  preacher.  To 
hear  the  gospel  preached  by  any  man  is  to  hear  Christ  preach,  for 
the  preacher  is  sent  by  Christ. 

15.  Worship  implies  faith,  faith  hearing,  hearing  preaching, 
preaching  a  message.  If  it  can  be  proved  that  the  message  has 
been  given,  it  can  be  taken  for  granted  that  the  other  dependent 
conditions  have  been  fulfilled.  The  prophetic  quotation  is  the 
answer  to  the  series  of  questions.  The  quotation  is  from  Isa.  lii. 
7.  The  original  reference  is  to  the  messenger  who  brought  the 
news  of  the  return  from  captivity  in  Babylon  ;  but  this  event 
of  Hebrew  history  was  regarded  as  typical  of  the  Messianic 
salvation,  and  so  language  used  with  reference  to  it  was  fre- 
quently applied  to  the  work  of  Christ.  Paul,  it  will  be  observed, 
shortens  the  quotation,  uses  the  plural  instead  of  the  singular 
as  more  suitable  for  his  purpose,  and  omits  'upon  the  mountains,' 


236  TO  THE  ROMANS   10.  16-19 

16  But  they  did  not  all  hearken  to  the  glad  tidings.     For 

17  Isaiah  saith,  Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report?     So 
belief  cometh  of  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  word  of 

18  Christ.     But  I  say.  Did  they  not  hear?     Yea,  verily. 

Their  sound  went  out  into  all  the  earth. 
And  their  words  unto  the  ends  of  the  world. 

19  But  I  say,  Did  Israel  not  know?     First  Moses  saith, 

which  had  a  merely  local  appropriateness.  The  A.  V.  reads  '  of 
them  that  preach  the  gospel  of  peace '  after  '  feet,'  but  although 
this  reproduces  a  clause  of  the  original  passage,  it  is  not  supported 
by  the  ancient  MSS. 

16.  That  the  gospel  may  have  been  preached,  even  although  it 
has  not  been  believed,  is  proved  by  the  prophets  complaint 
regarding  the  unbelief  with  which  his  message  had  been  received. 
The  quotation  is  from  Isa.  liii.  i,  although  the  word  'Lord'  does 
not  occur  there. 

report:  lit.  'hearing.'  The  word  is  used  in  a  double  sense, 
either  for  '  the  faculty  by  which  a  thing  is  heard,'  or  '  the  substance 
of  what  is  heard.'  Here  the  word  has  the  second  sense,  and  so 
may  be  rightly  rendered  <  report,'  although  this  rendering  obscures 
the  fact  that  the  same  word  is  used  in  this  and  the  next  verse, 
where  it  has  the  first  sense. 

\*J.  tlie  word  of  Christ:  verse  8,  'the  word  of  faith.'  This 
message  has  Christ  for  its  content,  and  demands  faith  for  its 
acceptance. 

18.  But  I  say.  The  gospel  has  been  preached,  and  has  not 
been  believed.  Is  there  any  excuse?  The  unbelieving  may  not 
actually  have  heard,  or  (verse  19)  they  may  not  have  understood. 
That  they  have  heard  Paul  proves  by  asserting  the  universal 
extension  of  the  gospel  by  means  of  a  quotation  from  Ps.  xix.  4, 
according  to  the  Greek  version,  which  differs  slightly  from  the 
Hebrew  :  '  Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth,  and  their 
words  to  the  end  of  the  world.'  He  does  not  here  use  any 
formula  of  quotation,  and  therefore  probably  he  does  not  intend 
the  words  to  be  taken  as  a  proof  from  the  Scriptures,  but  as 
simply  the  statement  of  a  fact  in  familiar  language.  The  words 
refer  originally  to  the  universal  revelation  of  God  in  nature,  and 
by  adopting  them  for  his  purpose  Paul  probably  intends  to  suggest 
that  the  gospel  is  to  be  preached  as  widely  as  nature  speaks  of 
God.  It  has  been  objected  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  gospel 
at  this  time  had  not  been  preached  everywhere  ;  but  we  must  not 
take  a  writer  like  Paul  with  prosaic  literalness.  There  might  be 
possibly  some  isolated  communities  of  Jews  to  whom  the  gospel 


TO  THE  ROMANS   10.  20,  21  237 

I  will  provoke  you  to  jealousy  with  that  which  is  no 
nation, 

With  a  nation  void  of  understanding  will  I  anger  you. 
And  Isaiah  is  very  bold,  and  saith,  20 

I  was  found  of  them  that  sought  me  not ; 

I  became  manifest  unto  them  that  asked  not  of  me. 
But  as  to  Israel  he  saith,  All  the  day  long  did  I  spread  21 

had  not  yet  come ;  yet,  broadly  speaking,  in  all  the  centres  of 
Jewish  life  in  the  Roman  Empire  the  gospel  had  been  preached. 
At  last  the  nation  as  a  whole  had  had  an  opportunity  of  hearing 
the  gospel. 

19.  Israel.  The  use  of  this  name  has  an  argumentative  force. 
It  recalls  the  relation  to  Jehovah  of  His  own  chosen  people. 
Taught  and  trained  by  His  messengers,  as  the  Jews  had  been,  they 
could  not  plead  the  excuse  of  ignorance,  or  incapacity  to  under- 
stand the  gospel.  If  they  did  remain  ignorant,  their  ignorance 
was  culpable.  The  call  of  the  Gentiles,  according  to  the  Apostle, 
was  a  challenge  to  Israel ;  the  faith  of  the  Gentiles  a  rebuke  of 
the  unbelief  of  Israel ;  this  unbelief  was  due  to,  and  a  proof  of, 
self-will.  The  first  quotation  is  from  Deut.  xxxii.  21,  and  is 
intended  to  shew  that  as  early  as  the  time  of  Moses  (Pirst 
Moses)  this  unbelief  had  already  shewn  itself.  This  passage 
is  a  threat  that  the  idolatry  of  Israel  will  lead  Jehovah  to  shew 
His  favour  to  another  nation,  a  nation  that  had  not  before  known 
Him.  Paul  uses  the  quotation  to  describe  what  he  expects  to 
be  the  effect  of  the  call  of  the  Gentiles  on  the  Jews.  As  Apostle 
of  the  Gentiles  his  aim  is  to  provoke  his  countrymen  to  jealousy. 
Shall  they,  God's  chosen  people,  miss  the  blessing  which  other 
nations  are  now  sharing?    This  is  what  the  argument  means. 

20.  very  l)olcl.  Paul  himself  felt  that  it  required  courage  to 
rebuke  the  unbelief  of  his  countrymen,  and  so  he  can  understand 
what  it  must  have  cost  Isaiah  to  speak  as  he  did  to  his  own 
people.  The  quotation  is  from  Isa.  Ixv.  i  according  to  the  LXX, 
with  an  inversion  of  clauses.  The  prophet  alludes  here  to  his 
apostate  countrymen,  whose  return  to  God  he  hopes  for ;  Paul, 
with  the  freedom  that  is  characteristic  in  his  use  of  the  O.  T., 
applies  the  words  to  the  Gentiles,  whose  faith,  so  unprepared  for 
and  so  unexpected,  should  rebuke  the  unbehef  of  Israel  who  had 
been  prepared  to  receive,  and  so  might  be  expected  to  accept,  the 
gospel. 

21.  as  to  Israel.  This  second  quotation  is  applied  not  to  the 
Gentiles  but  the  Jews,  who  in  their  unbelief  were  displaying  a 
characteristic  which  the  prophets  had  again  and  again  condemned. 


238  TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  i 

out    my    hands    unto    a    disobedient    and    gainsaying 
people. 
11      I  say  then,  Did  God  cast  off  his  people  ?  God  forbid. 

It  is  the  verse  immediately  following  the  previously  quoted  words 
(Ixv.  2).     Stephen  in  his  speech  brings  the  same  charge. 

disobedient  and  grainsaying"  is  an  expansion  of  the  Hebrew 
*  rebellious.' 

(3)  xi.     God' s  final  purpose  of  mercy  on  all, 

Paul  has  proved  that  God  was  free  to  reject  His  people,  and 
that  the  people  deserved  to  be  rejected ;  and  now  he  completes 
his  argument  by  shewing  that  at  the  present  time  even  there  is 
a  remnant  believing  and  saved,  and  by  venturing  the  bold  hope 
that,  as  the  rejection  of  the  Jews  has  been  the  occasion  for  the 
call  of  the  Gentiles,  so  the  salvation  of  the  Gentiles  will  lead  to 
the  conversion  of  the  Jews,  in  order  that  the  end  of  all  God's 
dealings  may  be  '  mercy  upon  all.*  This  glorious  prospect  evokes 
a  doxology,  with  which  the  doctrinal  exposition  fitly  closes. 
This  argument  falls  into  four  parts,  (i)  Paul  shews  that  the 
rejection  is  partial  now,  as  it  has  been  in  former  days  (i-io). 
(ii)  He  then  argues  that  it  is  temporary,  as  affording  an  occasion 
for  the  introduction  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  kingdom  (11-15). 
(iii)  He  next  infers,  from  the  sacred  ancestry  of  this  people,  its 
ultimate  restoration  (16-24).  (iv)  He  lastly  shews  that  this 
restoration  is  a  necessary  stage  in  the  fulfilment  of  God's  purpose 
of  universal  salvation  (25-31).  He  concludes  his  argument  with 
a  doxology  in  praise  of  the  wisdom  of  God  (33-36). 

(i)  xi.  i-io.  The  rejection  only  partial,  (a)  As  a  true  Israelite 
Paul  cannot  admit  that  God's  chosen  people  have  been  altogether 
rejected  (1-2'*).  (b)  As  in  the  time  of  Elijah,  who  beHeved 
himself  alone  in  the  midst  of  an  apostate  nation,  there  was  a 
chosen  remnant,  so  even  now  God  has  His  own,  though  few 
(2''-5).  (c)  These  have  been  chosen  in  God's  mercv^  not  through 
any  merit  of  their  own  (6).  (d)  The  rest  of  the  nation,  however, 
is  in  accordance  with  prophecy  being  divinely  punished  by 
spiritual  insensibility  (7-10). 

1.  I  say  then:  this  phrase  marks  the  beginning  of  a  fresh 
stage  in  the  argument. 

Did  God  cast  ofF  his  people?  (i)  The  form  of  the  question 
itself  suggests  the  negative  answer  to  be  given.  (2)  In  the 
Greek  the  words  '  God '  and  '  his  own  people '  are  close  together 
to  suggest  that  the  one  cannot  be  separated  from  the  other.  (3) 
Paul  purposely  uses  the  familiar  language  of  the  O.  T.  The 
assurance,  '  the  Lord  will  not  forsake  His  people,'  is  given  in 
I  Sam.  xii.  22  ;  Ps.  xciv.  14. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  2  239 

For  I  also  am  an  Israelite,  of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  of 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin.     God  did  not  cast  off  his  people  2 
which  he  foreknew.     Or  wot  ye  not  what  the  scripture 
saith  of  Elijah  ?  how  he  pleadeth  with  God  against  Israel, 

I  also.  Two  explanations  of  this  personal  reference  have 
been  suggested.  (1)  Paul  as  an  Israelite  is  himself  a  proof  that 
all  Israel  has  not  been  rejected  ;  but  («)  Paul  was  not  likel}'  to 
give  himself  such  prominence  in  the  argument,  for  his  solitary 
case  would  not  be  sufficient  evidence;  and  {b)  Paul  gives  a  more 
convincing  proof  of  his  denial  in  the  scriptural  reference  in 
verse  3.  (2)  Paul  here,  as  at  two  other  points  in  this  delicate 
and  difficult  argument  (ix.  i,  x.  i),  introduces  the  personal 
reference  to  shew  his  intense  interest  in  the  question  under 
discussion  ;  to  him  the  suggestion  that  God  has  forsaken  His 
people  appears  as  blasphemous  as  it  could  seem  to  any  Jew. 

Benjamin.  This  tribe  was  closely  connected  with  Judah  in 
keeping  up  the  theocratic  continuity  through  the  exile.  (Cf. 
2  Cor.  xi.  22  ;  Phil.  iii.  5.) 

2.  whicli  he  foreknew.  This  is  the  reason  why  it  was  im- 
possible for  God  to  forsake  His  people  ;  but  the  words  are  capable 
of  being  understood  in  two  ways,  (i)  He  had  known  and  chosen 
the  people  beforehand,  and  God's  choice  is  without  repentance. 
Compare  Amos  iii.  2,  '  You  have  I  known  of  all  the  families  of  the 
earth.'  This  meaning  belongs  to  the  simple  word  'knew';  but 
the  word  '  foreknew '  nowhere  else  has  this  meaning.  Hence  (2) 
He  had  foreknown  all  the  history  and  destiny  of  the  people  ; 
its  unbelief  could  not  come  as  a  surprise  to  Him,  and  so  involve 
an  entire  change  in  His  relation.  It  is  the  people  as  a  whole  that 
is  foreknown,  not  only  a  specially  elect  part  of  it,  as  has  sometimes 
been  maintained  ;  for  such  a  limitation  of  God's  interest  would 
deprive  Paul  of  the  broad  foundation  on  which  he  rears  the  lofty 
structure  of  his  universal  hope  in  the  latter  part  of  this  chapter. 

Or  wot  ye  not.  The  argument  is  this.  If  you  maintain 
that  God  has  now  cast  off  His  people,  you  must  ignore  what  was 
actually  the  case  at  a  previous  period  of  its  history,  when  to  all 
appearance  even  as  now  the  whole  nation  was  apostate,  but  in 
reality  a  remnant  was  still  faithful.  That  past  experience  shews 
what  should  be  our  present  expectations. 

of  Elijah :  lit.  '  in  Elijah,'  that  portion  of  the  Scriptures 
which  deals  with  the  story  of  Elijah.  So  'in  the  bush'  (Mark 
xii.  26 ;  Luke  xx.  37)  has  probably  the  same  meaning,  although 
the  local  sense  is  there  admissible.  For  facility  of  reference  the 
Scriptures  were  divided  into  paragraphs  bearing  such  significant 
titles. 

pleadeth.     The  Greek  word  menns  '^x)  to  meet,  <'^)  to  meet 


240  TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  5-7 

3  Lord,  they  have  killed  thy  prophets,  they  have  digged 
down  thine  altars ;  and  I  am  left  alone,  and  they  seek  my 

4  life.     But  what  saith  the  answer  of  God  unto  him  ?   I 
have  left  for  myself  seven  thousand  men,  who  have  not 

5  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal.     Even  so  then  at  this  present 
time  also  there  is  a  remnant  according  to  the  election  of 

6  grace.     But  if  it  is  by  grace,  it  is  no  more  of  works: 

7  otherwise  grace  is  no  more  grace.     What  then  ?   That 


for  talk,  (3)  to  plead  with,  (4)  to  accuse.     The  fourth  rather  than 
the  third  sense  is  appropriate  here. 

3.  Iiord,  &c.  The  words  are  quoted  from  the  Greek  version 
of  I  Kings  xix.  10  (14).  These  words  were  spoken  by  Elijah 
when  he  fled  to  Horeb  from  the  wrath  of  Queen  Jezebel,  and 
when  he  believed  himself  to  be  alone  faithful  to  God. 

4.  God's  answer  (verse  18).  Paul  quotes  as  a  statement  of 
fact ;  in  the  original  context  they  are  a  Divine  promise,  that  at  the 
time  when  the  people  will  be  judged  for  its  idolatry  and  sin  this 
remnant  will  be  spared,  Paul  sees  an  analogy  between  the  situa- 
tion in  Elijah's  time  and  his  own.  As  in  the  darkest  hour  in  the 
past  God  did  not  altogether  forsake  His  people,  so  will  it  be  now. 

Baal.  In  Greek  there  is  a  feminine  article  before  this  name, 
although  Baal  was  regarded  as  a  male  divinity.  The  reason  is 
this,  that  among  the  Jews  there  was  latterly  so  strong  an  aversion 
to  pronounce  this  name  of  a  false  God,  that  the  word  'shame,' 
a  feminine  word,  was  read  instead,  and  to  indicate  that  the  change 
was  to  be  made  the  feminine  article  was  inserted.  Paul  thus 
adopts  a  usage  of  the  Jewish  synagogue  in  writing  even  to 
Gentiles.  '  0 

5.  Paul  novir  draws  his  conclusion  from  his  illustration. 

the  election  of  grace.  The  remnant  did  not  earn  its  position 
by  the  merit  of  its  works ;  it  was  freely  chosen  by  God  that  it 
might  be  the  recipient  of  His  grace. 

6.  Paul  is  anxious  to  maintain  against  all  possible  misunder- 
standing his  doctrine  of  justification  from  grace  through  faith  ;  and 
so  he  explains  that  if  this  remnant  had  deserved  its  position,  there 
would  have  been  no  g^ace  in  God's  dealing,  for  wages  earned,  or 
reward  merited  and  grace  given,  are  mutually  exclusive  con- 
ceptions. Grace  would  so  change  its  character  as  to  lose  its 
identity  if  its  gifts  could  be  earned  or  deserved. 

7.  The  statement  of  ix.  31  can  now  be  so  far  modified  that 
it  is  not  a  total  failure  of  Israel,  but  only  a  partial  which  must  be 
spoken  of. 


TO  THE  ROxMANS   11.  8,9  241 

which  Israel  seeketli  for,  that  he  obtained  not ;  but  the 
election  obtained  it,  and  the  rest  were  hardened  :  accord- 
ing as  it  is  written,  God  gave  them  a  spirit  of  stupor,  eyes 
that  they  should  not  see,  and  ears  that  they  should  not 
hear,  unto  this  very  day.     And  David  saith, 

Let  their  table  be  made  a  snare,  and  a  trap, 
And    a    stumblingblock,  and   a    recompense    unto 
them  : 

election  :  the  abstract  for  the  concrete,  '  the  elect.'  The  use 
of  the  abstract  lays  stress  not  on  the  individuals  chosen,  but  on 
the  fact  that  they  owe  their  position  entirely  to  God's  choice. 

hardened.  Paul's  order  of  thought  is  not  ours.  We  should 
attribute  the  failure  to  the  hardening  ;  Paul  ascribes  the  hardening 
to  the  failure.  It  is  a  judicial  penalty ;  but  he  does  not  directly 
ascribe  it  to  God,  nor  does  he  blame  themselves  ;  but,  as  in  ix.  22, 
he  uses  a  word  that  leaves  the  question  undecided.  The  quotation 
in  verse  8  represents  God  as  producing  the  hardening,  but  the 
word  'stumble'  in  verse  11  suggests  that  their  fate  was  their 
fault. 

8.  Here  Paul  combines  in  his  quotation  words  from  Isa.  xxix. 
10  ;  Deut.  xxix.  4  ;  and  Isa.  vi.  9.  While  the  form  of  the  quotation 
is  determined  mainly  by  Deuteronomy,  the  situation  in  time  of 
Isaiah  offers  the  closest  analogy  to  the  condition  of  spiritual  in- 
sensibility, with  which  the  Apostle  charges  his  own  countrymen. 
This  was  nothing  new  in  the  history  of  the  nation. 

spirit  of  stupor.  Isa.  xxix.  lo,  a  'spirit  of  deep  sleep, 
absolute  spiritual  insensibility. 

unto  this  very  day.  Cf.  Stephen's  sketch  of  Jewish  history 
to  prove  this  same  point.  Acts  vii.  51, 'Ye  stiff-necked  and  un- 
circumcised  in  heart  and  ears,  ye  do  always  resist  the  Holy 
Ghost :  as  your  fathers  did,  so  do  ye.' 

9,  10.  This  quotation  is  from  the  LXX  of  Ps.  Ixix.  23,  24. 
This  penalty  from  God's  wrath  the  Psalmist  invokes  on  his  own 
enemies,  whom  he  regards  as  also  the  enemies  of  God.  Paul 
boldly  identifies  the  unbelieving  Jews  themselves  with  the  enemies 
of  God's  cause,  and  so  applies  this  imprecation  to  them. 

9.  a  snare,  and  a  trap.  Paul  adds  the  words  '  and  a  trap.'  The 
meaning  of  the  quotation  is  briefly  this.  As  the  security  which 
prosperity  inspires  often  exposes  a  man  to  danger  and  loss,  so  the 
Scriptures,  and  ordinances,  and  institutions,  in  which  the  Jews 
put  their  trust,  misunderstood  and  misused,  became  the  cause  of 
their  persistence  in  the  way  of  unbelief. 
recompense:  penalty  of  wrong-doing. 


242  TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  lo,  ii 

10  Let  their  eyes  be  darkened,  that  they  may  not  see, 
And  bow  thou  down  their  back  alway. 

11  I  say  then,  Did  they  stumble  that  they  might  fall  ?  God 

10.  This  quotation  describes  two  prominent  features  of  un- 
believing Judaism,  (i)  The  Jews  lacked  spiritual  discernment. 
They  had  given  so  much  attention  to  trivial  ceremonial  and  ritual 
minutiae,  that  they  had  lost  capacity  to  appreciate  essential  moral 
and  spiritual  realities.  (2)  They  were  oppressed  by  the  burden 
of  ritualism  and  ceremonialism,  as  Christ,  both  in  gracious  invitation 
(Matt.  xi.  28)  and  in  stern  condemnation,  declared  (Matt,  xxiii.  4). 

(ii)  xi.  11-15.  The  rejection  temporary.  Having  shewn  that  the 
rejection  is  partial,  Paul  now  shews  that  it  is  temporary.  He 
deals  no  longer  with  the  remnant,  but  looks  more  closely  at  those 
at  present  rejected,  those  who  have  been  hardened.  Their  present 
rejection  has  in  view  their  final  restoration,  which  will  bring  even 
greater  blessing  to  the  Gentiles  than  their  rejection  has  done.  It 
is  one  thought  which  is  developed  in  verses  11-15,  even  although 
at  verse  13  Paul  digresses  to  address  himself  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  it  therefore  seems  a  mistake  to  begin  a  new  paragraph  there, 
as  the  R.V,  does. 

{a)  The  rejection  of  the  Jewish  people  is  not  final,  but 
temporary,  the  occasion  of  the  call  of  the  Gentiles,  whose 
entrance  into  the  kingdom  is  fitted  to  arouse  the  Jews  to  a  sense 
of  their  loss  in  missing  these  blessings  (11).  (6)  A  still  greater 
good  to  the  Gentiles  may  be  looked  for  from  the  return  of  the 
Jews  than  from  their  rejection  (12).  (c)  Although  Paul  is  proud 
of  his  calling  as  Gentile  Apostle,  he  has  still  his  own  countrymen 
in  view  in  his  work,  hoping  to  arouse  the  desire  in  them  to  share 
the  blessings  enjoyed  by  the  Gentiles  (13,  14).  {d)  In  so  doing 
he  is  not  neglectful  of  the  Gentiles,  as  the  result  of  the  recovery 
of  the  Jews  must  needs  be  abundant  blessing  to  all  (15). 

11.  stumble  .  .  .fall.  This  figure  is  suggested  by  the  word 
'  stumblingblock '  in  verse  9,  and  two  stages  are  distinguished. 
A  man  may  stumble,  but  again  recover  himself  and  go  on  his  way; 
or  he  may  not  only  stumble,  but  fall  also  so  as  not  to  rise  again. 
Paul  asks  whether  the  former  case  or  the  latter  is  to  be  expected, 
and  strongly  denies  the  possibility  of  the  latter  (Isa.  xxiv.  20). 

that  they  might  fall.  Although  the  grammatical  structure 
appears  to  indicate  purpose,  yet  all  that  is  probably  meant  is 
result,  and  the  meaning  would  be  better  rendered  *  so  as  to  fall ' ; 
for  it  cannot  be  the  purpose  of  those  who  stumble  to  fall,  and  it 
is  a  forced  interpretation  to  refer  the  purpose  of  their  stumbling 
to  God. 

fall:  or,  'trespass'  ;  rather,  to  maintain  the  metaphor,  'false 
step.' 


TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  12  243 

forbid  :  but  by  their  fall  salvation  is  come  unto  the  Gen- 
tiles, for  to  provoke  them  to  jealousy.     Now  if  their  fall  12 
is  the  riches  of  the  world,  and  their  loss  the  riches  of  the 
Gentiles ;  how  much  more  their  fulness  ? 

salvation  is  come  unto  tlie  Gentiles.  Paul  is  stating  his- 
torical facts  :  it  was  his  practice  to  begin  in  the  Jewish  synagogue, 
and  only  when  he  was  met  with  unbelief  there  did  he  go  else- 
where and  address  himself  directly  to  the  Gentiles.  See  Acts 
xiii.  44-48,  xxviii.  28.  Had  the  apostles  won  many  of  the  Jews, 
it  is  probable  that  not  only  would  the  Gentile  mission  have  been 
delayed,  but  even  that  the  new  converts  would  have  given  the 
Christian  Church  so  distinctively  Jewish  a  character  as  to  greatly 
increase  the  difficulties  of  any  Gentile  mission.  Had  there  been 
an  extensive  national  movement  among  the  Jews  in  favour  of 
Christianity,  it  seems  at  least  unlikely  that  Paul  could  have 
secured  the  emancipation  of  the  Gentiles  from  the  Jewish  law. 
In  God's  providence  it  was  needful  that,  in  order  to  become  the 
universal  religion,  Christianity  should  suffer  rejection  by  the 
nation  in  which  it  had  its  origin. 

to  provoke  them  to  jealousy.  The  phrase  is  suggested  by 
the  quotation  in  x.  19.  We  know  that  in  not  a  few  cases,  at  the 
beginning  at  least,  the  effect  was  to  exasperate  the  Jews  all  the 
more.  See  Acts  xiii.  50,  xvii.  5,  xxii.  22.  There  jealousy  did  not 
lead  to  repentance.  But  there  may  have  been  some  cases  in 
which  pious  Jews  were  won  for  Christ  by  what  they  saw  of 
God's  work  through  the  Christian  Church  among  the  Gentiles. 

12.  loss :  rather,  '  defeat,'  or,  '  defect.'  In  i  Cor.  vi.  7  the  same 
word  is  rendered  *  defect,*  and  in  margin  '  loss.'  The  rendering 
*  diminution,'  although  it  offers  a  more  distinct  antithesis  to  '  ful- 
ness,' is  less  justified  by  the  etymology. 

the  riches  of  the  Gentiles.  The  opening  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  to  the  Gentiles  added  to  the  world's  spiritual  wealth  in  the 
greater  number  included  in  God's  purpose  of  grace  ;  and  the  saints 
in  the  Gentile  churches  were  their  most  precious  possession. 

how  much  more.  This  is  what  is  known  as  an  a  fortiori 
argument,  from  the  less  to  the  greater,  the  lower  to  the  higher. 
If  the  rejection  of  the  Jews  can  have  such  an  effect,  how  much 
greater  must  be  the  effect  of  their  restoration.  Cf.  for  same  kind 
of  argument  v.  9,  10. 

fulness.  The  Greek  word  which  this  renders  is  pleroma^ 
and  it  played  an  important  part  in  later  theological  systems ;  but 
its  meaning  is  still  doubtful.  It  may  mean  eitlier  (i)  that  which 
is  completed,  the  totality,  or  (2)  that  which  completes,  the  addition 
necessary  to  produce  this  totality.  The  latter  is  the  proper  sense 
of  the  English  word  complement.     Cf.  John  i.  16 ;  Eph.  i.  23,  iii.  19; 

R    2 


244  TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  13-15 

13  But  I  speak  to  you  that  are  Gentiles.     Inasmuch  then 

1 4  as  I  am  an  apostle  of  Gentiles,  1  glorify  my  ministry :  if 
by  any  means  I  may  provoke  to  jealousy  them  that  are 

15  my  flesh,  and  may  save  some  of  them.  For  if  the 
casting  away  of  them  is  the  reconciling  of  the  world, 
what  shall  iXiO.  receiving  of  them  he,  but  life  from  the  dead  ? 

Col.  i.  19;  where  complement  or  completeness  are  both  possible 
renderings.  Here  the  sense  of  the  passage  is  the  same,  whatever 
meaning  we  may  give  the  word,  for  if  the  Jewish  nation  at  its 
restoration  will  receive  its  complement,  it  will  also  then  attain 
its  completeness. 

13.  Paul  does  not  now  turn  from  the  Jews  to  deal  with  the 
Gentiles,  there  is  no  change  of  subject.  Verse  15  so  clearly 
resumes  verse  12  that  it  is  a  mistake  to  begin  a  new  paragraph. 
What  Paul  says  to  the  Gentiles  is  parenthetic,  but  its  intention 
clearly  is  to  shew  that  what  he  is  now  saying  about  the  Jews  has 
an  interest  for  them  as  well.  By  his  ministry  he  hopes  to  bring 
good  to  his  countrymen,  but  this  good  he  hopes  will  in  turn  prove 
for  the  greater  gain  of  the  Gentiles.  This  address  suggests  that, 
however  Jewish  the  tone  and  method  of  the  previous  argument, 
Paul  was  conscious  that  for  the  most  part  he  was  addressing 
Gentiles. 

you  tliat  are  Gentiles.  The  Jews  are  spoken  of  in  the  third 
person,  the  Gentiles  are  here  addressed  in  the  second,  this 
supposes  a  church  composed  mostly  of  Gentiles. 

apostle  of  Gentiles.  Paul  was  conscious  that  this  was 
his  distinctive  work,  to  which  God  had  called  him  (Acts  xxii.  21  ; 
Gal.  ii.  7-9  ;  i  Tim.  ii.  7). 

I  glorify  my  ministry :  either  (i)  by  insisting  on  the  claims 
of  the  Gentiles  to  the  gospel  (iii.  29,  x.  12),  or  (2)  by  doing 
everything  possible  to  make  the  work  among  the  Gentiles  prosper. 
The  latter  is  probably  what  Paul  means  here.  It  is  from  the 
success  of  his  ministry  among  the  Gentiles  that  he  hopes  some 
influence  on  the  Jews  will  result. 

15.  From  the  parenthesis  of  verses  13  and  14  Paul  now  returns 
to  his  main  argument,  this  verse  repeating  verse  12,  but  in  other 
language. 

reconciling  of  the  world.  Paul's  was  a  ministry  of  recon- 
ciliation (2  Cor.  V.  18,  19),  and  in  this  he  was  a  worker  for  God, 
whose  purpose  is  reconciliation  (Col.  i.  20).  Inasmuch  as  the 
rejection  of  Israel  was  the  occasion  for  the  call  of  the  Gentiles, 
it  contributed  to  the  realization  of  this  purpose. 

receiving  of  them  :  their  restoration  to  the  blessings  and 
privileges  of  the  Messianic  kingdom. 


TO  THE   ROMANS   11.  16,17  245 

And  if  the  firstfruit  is  holy,  so  is  the  lump :  and  if  the  16 
root  is  holy,  so  are  the  branches.     But  if  some  of  the  17 

life  from  the  dead.  The  phrase  may  be  taken  either  literally 
or  figuratively,  (i)  If  taken  literally  the  meaning  is,  that  as 
soon  as  Israel  is  restored,  God's  purpose  being  thus  fulfilled,  the 
Resurrection,  as  the  first  stage  of  the  final  consummation  of  all 
things,  will  take  place.  (2)  If  taken  figuratively,  then  what  Paul 
anticipates  as  a  result  of  Israel's  restoration  is  a  great  spiritual 
revival,  doubtless- among  the  Gentiles  as  well  as  restored  Israel. 
The  former  explanation,  taking  into  account  the  prominence  of 
eschatology  in  the  Apostolic  Age,  is  the  more  probable. 

(iii)  xi.  16-24.  The  root  and  the  branches.  Not  onl}'  was  the 
restoration  of  the  Jews  likely  to  confer  benefit  on  the  Gentiles 
(11-15),  Paul  now  shews  that  the  past  history  of  this  people 
justified  this  future  expectation.  Their  ancestry  could  not  be 
altogether  valueless,  their  inheritance  prove  altogether  vain  ;  as 
the  fathers  had  been,  so  surely  the  sons  would  yet  be.  (a)  This 
restoration  is  to  be  expected,  because  even  as  the  piece  of  dough 
which  is  offered  to  God  as  a  heave-offering  consecrates  the  whole 
lump,  and  as  the  branches  of  a  tree  are  one  with  its  root,  so 
the  origin  of  this  race  will  control  its  destiny  (16).  {b)  The 
present  position  of  the  Church  of  Christ  is  this:  it  is  like  an 
olive  tree,  of  which  some  of  the  branches  (the  unbelieving  Jews) 
have  been  cut  off,  and  into  which  other  branches  taken  from 
a  wild  olive  tree  (the  Gentiles,  who  had  hitherto  enjoyed  no 
special  religious  privileges)  have  been  grafted  (17).  ic)  The 
Gentiles  must  not  scorn  the  Jews,  or  boast  that  they  have  been 
preferred  before  them,  because  as  the  Jews  were  cut  off  for 
unbelief,  so  also  the  Gentiles  may,  and  as  the  Gentiles  have 
been  grafted  in  through  faith,  so  also  may  the  Jews,  when  they 
turn  from  their  unbelief  (18-23).  (^  It  is  more  probable  even 
that  the  branches  cut  off  should  be  restored  to  the  tree  than  that 
branches  cut  off  from  another  tree  should  be  grafted  in  ;  the  Jews 
return  is  more  probable  even  than  the  Gentiles'  reception  (24). 

16.  firstfnxit.  This  metaphor  is  taken  from  the  custom  pre- 
scribed in  Num.  xv.  19-21.  As  this  offering  to  God  consecrated  all 
the  dough,  so  Paul  suggests  (he  leaves  the  conclusion  to  be  diawn 
from  the  illustration  stated)  the  patriarchs,  by  their  consecration 
to  God,  consecrated  the  whole  people.  As  verse  28  shews,  the 
patriarchs,  not  Christ,  or  the  remnant,  are  the  firstfruits. 

holy:  not  in  the  ethical  sense  of  personal  perfection,  but  in 
the  religious  sense  of  separation  and  dedication  unto  God. 

root . . .  branches.  This  is  the  same  idea,  although  expressed 
in  a  less  appropriate  metaphor;  for  the  firstfruit  was  actually 
consecrated  unto  God  with  a  view  to  the  consecration  of  the  whole 


246  TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  17 

branches  were  broken  off,  and  thou,  being  a  wild  olive, 
wast  grafted  in  among  them,  and  didst  become  partaker 
with  them  of  the  root  of  the  fatness  of  the  olive  tree ; 

lump.  But  this  holiness  cannot  in  the  same  literal  sense  be  pre- 
dicated of  the  roots  of  a  tree  with  its  branches.  The  thought 
that  this  metaphor  does  naturally  suggest  is  that  the  descendants 
share  the  character  of  their  ancestors.  This  figure  is  here  added 
to  allow  the  fuller  working  out  of  the  analogy  in  verses  17-24. 

17-24.  The  image  of  an  olive  tree  is  found  in  the  prophets, applied 
to  Israel  (Jer.  xi.  16 ;  Hos.  xiv.  6).  A  similar  figure— that  of  a 
vine — is  also  used  (Isa.  v.  7  ;  Ps.  Ixxx.  8).  Jesus  compares  himself 
to  a  vine,  of  which  his  disciples  are  the  branches.  The  olive  tree 
is  the  Church  of  God,  first  Jewish,  then  Christian,  but  one 
throughout.  This  assumption  of  the  continuity  of  Christianity'  and 
Judaism  is  essential  to  the  analogy.  The  Jews  in  refusing  the 
gospel  not  only  missed  something  new,  but  even  lost  something 
old.  The  roots  of  this  tree  are  the  patriarchs  ;  the  branches  are 
the  individual  believers,  whether  they  be  natural  branches  (of 
Jewish  descent)  or  grafted  branches  (Gentiles).  Two  lessons  are 
drawn  from  this  figure:  (i)  a  warning  to  the  Gentiles  not  to  be 
high-minded,  but  fear  ;  they  are  not  natural,  but  grafted  branches, 
and  ma3'  be  cut  off:  (2)  an  encouragement  for  the  Jews;  the 
natural  branches  can  be  more  easily  restored  than  the  branches 
from  another  tree  grafted  in.  Even  if  arbori  culture  would  not 
justify  Paul's  assumption  as  regards  a  tree,  yet  something  can  be 
said  for  his  assumption  as  regards  a  race ;  old  aptitudes  are  more 
easily  recovered  than  new  aptitudes  are  acquired.  The  metaphor 
Paul  uses  is,  however,  not  correct.  No  gardener  ever  yet 
grafted  a  branch  of  a  wild  olive  tree  on  a  cultivated  one  ;  it  is 
a  wild  stock  on  which  a  branch  from  a  cultivated  tree  is  grafted. 
We  need  not  rashly  assume,  however,  that  Paul  here  shews  his 
ignorance.  He  possibly  purposely  reverses  the  natural  process 
to  suggest  how  contrary  to  all  probability  and  expectation  was  the 
call  of  the  Gentiles. 

17.  some.  Paul  states  less  than  the  fact  from  consideration  and 
sympathy  for  his  countr3'men,  so  iii.  3. 

a  wild  olive.  This  is  the  ungrafted  tree,  the  fruit  of  which 
is  small  and  worthless.  The  Gentiles  had  been  without  the 
religious  privileges  of  the  Jews ;  theirs  had  not  been  a  special 
revelation  of  God's  grace. 

partaker  with  them.    Cf.  Eph.  iii.  6. 

the  root  of  the  fatness  of  the  olive  tree.  The  branches 
draw  their  nourishment  from  the  roots  through  the  stem.  Paul 
thinks  of  the  fatness  of  the  tree  as  stored  in  the  roots  and  drawn 
from  them. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  18-21  247 

glory  not  over  the  branches  :  but  if  thou  gloriest,  it  is  18 
not  thou  that  bearest  the  root,  but  the  root  thee.     Thou  19 
wilt  say  then,  Branches  were  broken  off,  that  I  might  be 
grafted  in.     Well;  by  their  unbelief  they  were  broken  20 
off,  and  thou  standest  by  thy  faith.     Be  not  highminded, 
but  fear :  for  if  God  spared  not  the  natural  branches,  -^  1 


18.  grlory  not.  The  Gentiles  hated  and  scorned  the  Jews. 
Even  when  converted  to  Christianity,  this  feeHng  of  the  Gentiles 
would  probably  be  turned  against  tlie  unbelieving  Jews,  and 
would  even  be  intensified.  The  Jews  had  lost  their  religious 
privileges,  and  the  Gentiles  had  gained  them.  A  sense  of 
superiority,  shewn  in  a  supercilious  attitude,  had  developed  itself, 
and  Paul  needed  to  rebuke  it.  This  pride  and  conceit  seems  to 
have  been  speciall}'  characteristic  of  the  Corinthian  Church.  Some 
signs  of  the  same  spirit  may  have  already  appeared  in  Rome,  and 
thus  led  to  Paul's  warning. 

it  is  not  thou  that  bearest  the  root,  hut  the  root  thee. 
This  is  not  so  obvious  a  truth  as  it  may  appear.  The  grafted 
branch  ennobled  the  stock  on  which  it  was  grafted  ;  so  the 
Gentiles  might  believe  that  by  accepting  the  gospel  from  the  Jews 
they  were  conferring  favour  and  benefit  on  the  Jews.  Paul 
reminds  them  that  the  good  they  enjoy  has  come  to  them  ;  they 
are  the  benefited,  not  the  benefactors. 

19.  Thou  wilt  say.  Paul  himself  did  argue  that  the  result  of 
the  temporary  rejection  of  the  Jews  was  the  call  of  the  Gentiles ; 
nay,  doubtless  he  held  that  this  result  was  divinely  intended.  He 
can,  however,  conceive  of  the  Gentiles  putting  forward  the  same 
conclusion  in  a  spirit  of  arrogance.  '  As  they  were  cut  off  to  let 
us  in,  we  must  be  better  than  they.*  Paul  at  once  refutes  such  an 
inference. 

20.  Well.  This  is  an  ironical  comment,  which  might  be  para- 
phrased, 'You  are  a  clever  fellow.'  Paul,  however,  at  once 
rebukes  this  smartness.  There  is  no  human  merit  as  the  reason 
for  God's  dealing.  Unbelief  caused  the  rejection  of  the  Jews ; 
faith  was  the  condition  of  the  acceptance  of  the  Gentiles.  Such 
conceit  is  destructive  of  faith,  and  may  involve,  if  cherished,  loss 
of  all  privilege  and  benefit. 

21.  This  verse  gives  the  reason  for  the  warning.  God's 
severity  to  the  unbelief  of  the  Jews  may  be  a  warning  to  the 
Gentiles,  lest  the  same  judgement  for  the  same  reason  unbelief — 
fall  on  them.  In  the  phrase  natural  branches  Paul  suggests  that 
the  Jews  had  more  reason  to  expect  than  the  Gentiles  that  they 
would  be  spared. 


248  TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  22-25 

22  neither  will  he  spare  thee.  Behold  then  the  goodness 
and  severity  of  God  :  toward  them  that  fell,  severity ;  but 
toward  thee,  God's  goodness,   if  thou  continue  in  his 

23  goodness  :  otherwise  thou  also  shalt  be  cut  off.  And 
they  also,  if  they  continue  not  in  their  unbelief,  shall  be 

24  grafted  in  :  for  God  is  able  to  graft  them  in  again.  For 
if  thou  wast  cut  out  of  that  which  is  by  nature  a  wild 
olive  tree,  and  wast  grafted  contrary  to  nature  into  a 
good  olive  tree :  how  much  more  shall  these,  which  are 
the  natural  branches^  be  grafted  into  their  own  olive  tree  ? 

25  For  I  would  not,  brethren,  have  you  ignorant  of  this 

22.  God,  in  His  dealings  with  men,  appears  in  a  double  character. 
He  has  shewn  grace  to  the  Gentiles,  and  as  long  as  their  faith 
continues  to  claim  this  grace,  it  will  be  theirs.  He  has  visited  the 
Jews  with  judgement  because  of  their  unbelief;  and  when  the 
Gentiles  shew  the  same  unbelief,  the  same  judgement  will  fall 
on  them. 

23.  From  warning  the  Gentiles  Paul  turns  to  encouragement 
for  the  Jews.  As  soon  as  unbelief  ceases,  judgement  ceases ; 
as  soon  as  faith  begins,  grace  begins ;  God  has  not  only  the  will, 
but  the  power  to  restore  those  whom  He  has  rejected. 

24.  This  is  again  an  a  fortiori  argument,  from  the  less  to  the 
more  probable  ;  the  call  of  the  Gentiles  was  less  probable  than  the 
restoration  of  the  Jews.  That  the  one  has  taken  place  affords 
reason  to  believe  that  the  other  will  take  place.  (See  Introduction — 
III,  6,  {c)  (vii)— for  discussion  of  Jewish  contemporary  opinion  on 
the  subject  of  this  paragraph ;  and  note  at  verse  32  on  Paul's 
hope  for  his  people.) 

(iv)  xi.  25-32.  Go<^s  universal  purpose,  (a)  As  the  cure  for 
conceit  is  knowledge,  Paul  takes  his  readers  into  his  confidence, 
and  unfolds  to  them  the  secret  of  God's  purpose  as  revealed  to 
him,  namely,  that  the  spiritual  insensibil'ty  of  Israel  is  temporary, 
and  will  continue  only  until  the  full  number  of  the  saved  from 
among  the  Gentiles  has  been  made  up,  and  then,  according  to 
the  prophetic  prediction,  salvation  will  come  to  Israel  (25-27). 
{b)  Although  the  temporary  rejection  of  the  Jews  served  as  the 
occasion  for  the  bringing  in  of  the  Gentiles,  yet  God's  unchanging 
purpose  is  their  final  salvation  (28,  29).  (c)  It  is  with  a  view 
to  the  revelation  of  His  grace  to  all  mankind  that  God  suffered 
the  unbelief  of  the  Gentiles  in  times  past,  and  is  suffering  the 
unbelief  of  His  own  people  now  (30-32). 


TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  26  249 

mystery,  lest  ye  be  wise  in  your  own  conceits,   that   a 
hardening  in  part  hath  befallen  Israel,  until  the  fulness  of 
the  Gentiles  be  come  in ;  and  so  all  Israel  shall  be  saved  :  26 
even  as  it  is  written, 

25.  For  I  would  not,  brethren,  have  you  ignorant.  Cf. 
i.  T3 ;  I  Cor.  x.  i,  xii.  i ;  2  Cor.  i.  8 ;  i  Thess.  iv.  13.  Paul  uses  this 
phrase  when  he  wants  to  take  his  readers  into  his  confidence, 
or  to  communicate  to  them  some  truth  of  special  importance.  It 
is  a  call  to  attention. 

this  mystery.  In  the  time  of  Paul  the  mysteries  enjoyed 
great  popularity,  as  they  professed  to  reveal  to  the  initiated 
secrets,  especially  about  the  future  life.  These  secrets  were 
communicated  only  to  the  'perfect'  ^Col.  i.  28 ;  i  Cor.  ii.  8)  who 
had  been  'initiated'  (Phil.  iv.  12,  'have  learned  the  secret'),  and 
'  had  been  sealed '  (Eph.  i.  13).  Paul  uses  the  phraseology  of 
the  mysteries,  but  does  not  follow  the  practice ;  for  it  is  his 
mission  not  to  hide  God's  secrets,  but  to  let  all  men  know  them. 
By  mystery  he  means  not  something  to  be  kept  secret,  but  something 
that  has  at  last  been  revealed ;  God's  eternal  purpose,  long 
hidden  in  human  history,  has  at  last  been  laid  bare  in  Christ's 
gospel.  The  Christian  revelation  as  a  whole  is  described  as 
a  mystery  (xvi.  25 ;  i  Cor.  ii.  7 ;  Eph.  vi.  19 ;  Col.  ii.  2  ;  i  Tim, 
iii.  9) ;  or  the  term  is  applied  to  special  doctrines,  as  the 
Incarnation  (i  Tim.  iii.  16),  the  Crucifixion  of  Christ  (i  Cor.  ii.  i, 
7),  the  Divine  purpose  to  sum  up  all  things  in  Christ  (Eph.  i.  9), 
the  entrance  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  kingdom  (Eph.  iii.  3,  4  ;  Col. 
i.  26,  27),  the  union  of  Christ  with  his  Church  as  typified  in 
marriage  (Eph.  v.  32),  the  transformation  of  those  who  are  alive 
at  the  resurrection  (i  Cor.  xv.  51),  the  antagonism  of  Antichrist 
(2  Thess.  ii.  7).  The  mystery  here  is  the  temporary  unbelief 
of  the  Jews  to  be  followed  by  their  final  restoration. 

lest  ye  be  wise  in  your  own  conceits.  *  A  little  knowledge 
is  a  dangerous  thing.'  The  Gentiles  were  in  danger  of  drawing 
a  false  conclusion  from  what  Paul  had  already  shewn  of  God's 
ways  ;  the  only  cure  for  this  defect  was  complete  knowledge. 

in  part.  The  phrase  recalls  the  doctrine  of  the  remnant 
(verse  5). 

until  the  fulness  {pleroma,  see  verse  12)  of  the  Gentiles 
be  come  in  (to  the  Messianic  kingdom.  Cf.  Matt.  vii.  13,  xxiii. 
13  ;  Luke  xiii.  24).  The  unbelief  of  the  Jews  is  to  continue  till 
the  Gentiles  are  all  brought  in  (cf.  Luke  xxi.  24. 

26.  and  so.  This  clause  cannot  be  co  ordinate  with  the  pre- 
ceding clause  depending  on  'that,'  as  the  meaning  then  would 
be  that  the  hardening  was  the  means  of  Israel's  salvation.     The 


250  TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  27,28 

There  shall  come  out  of  Zion  the  Deliverer ; 
He  shall  turn  away  ungodliness  from  Jacob : 

27  And  this  is  my  covenant  unto  them, 
When  I  shall  take  away  their  sins. 

28  As  touching  the  gospel,  they  are  enemies  for  your  sake  : 
but  as  touching  the  election,  they  are  beloved  for  the 

clause  must  be  independent,  and  the  reference  of  the  word  *  so ' 
must  be  to  the  gathering  in  of  the  fullness  of  the  Gentiles. 

all  Israel.  This  does  not  mean  every  individual  Israelite, 
but  Israel  as  a  whole  ;  not  the  spiritual  Israel  (the  Christian 
Church"),  or  the  elect  remnant,  but  the  historical  nation  (taken 
in  its  totality  without  any  emphasis  on  the  members  of  it).  Paul 
here  is  taking  a  broad  general  view  of  the  Jewish  nation  and 
the  Gentile  nations.  As  regards  the  eternal  destiny  of  individuals, 
he  here  says  absolutely  nothing. 

26.  27.  as  it  is  written.  The  quotation  is  from  Isa.  lix.  20, 
21,  and  xxvii.  9;  and,  although  free,  the  only  important  change  is 
'from  Zion*  instead  of  'for  Zion,'  and  this  change  was  probably 
suggested  by  Ps.  xiv.  7.  What  the  prophet  had  said  about  the 
spiritual  destiny  of  Israel  Paul  here  more  definitely  applies  to 
the  work  of  Christ ;  but  it  had  already  been  so  applied  to  the 
Messiah  by  Jewish  theology,  which  anticipated  a  general  restora- 
tion of  Israel,  following  on  a  general  resurrection  in  a  kingdom  in 
Palestine  with  Jerusalem  as  its  centre,  in  which  there  was  to  be, 
in  accordance  with  prophetic  prediction,  a  place  even  for  the 
Gentiles.  Although  JPaul  here  uses  the  phrase  '  out  of  Zion,'  we 
must  not  suppose  that  he  regarded  the  prophecy  literally,  for  in 
Gal.  iv.  25,  26,  he  expressly  contrasts  'the  Jerusalem  that  now 
is'  and  'the  Jerusalem  that  is  above.'  The  question  may  be 
asked,  Does  he  refer  to  the  First  or  the  Second  Advent  ?  Very 
probably  the  coming  he  refers  to  is  the  preaching  of  the  gospel 
to  the  Jews  that  Christ  had  come,  and  their  acceptance  of  him  as 
Messiah,  and  not  the  Second  Advent. 

Deliverer.     Cf.  i  Thess.  i.  10. 

27.  my  covenant.  God's  covenant  is  not  now  one  of  com- 
mandments to  be  obeyed,  but  of  sins  forgiven — a  new  covenant. 

28.  as  touching'  the  g'ospel.  As  regards  God's  plan  for  the 
spread  of  the  gospel. 

enemies.    Treated  by  God  as  such,  rejected  for  their  unbelief 
for  your  sake.     The  call  of  the  Gentiles  was  the  result  of 

the  unbelief  of  the  Jews,  as  has  already  been  fully  shewn. 

the   election:    not  as  in  verse   7,   the   elect   ones,  or   the 

believing  remnant,  but  with  respect  to  God's  choice  of  the  Jews 

as  His  own  people. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  29-33  251 

fathers'  sake.  For  the  gifts  and  the  calling  of  God  are  29 
without  repentance.  For  as  ye  in  time  past  were  dis-  3° 
obedient  to  God,  but  now  have  obtained  mercy  by  their 
disobedience,  even  so  have  these  also  now  been  dis-  31 
obedient,  that  by  the  mercy  shewn  to  you  they  also  may 
now  obtain  mercy.  For  God  hath  shut  up  all  unto  dis-  32 
obedience,  that  he  might  have  mercy  upon  all. 

beloved.     Probably  suggested  by  the  words  quoted  in  ix.  25. 

for  the  fathers'  sake.  The  nation  as  a  whole  was  still  dear 
to  God,  because  the  ancestors  of  the  race  had  been  well  pleasing 
to  Him. 

29.  God  is  an  unchanging  being ;  He  may  vary  His  method, 
but  He  does  not  abandon  His  purpose  (i  Sam.  xv.  29;  Ezek. 
xxiv.  14). 

30.  This  verse  shews  further  ground  for  expecting  God's  mercy 
on  His  people.  The  Gentiles,  though  disobedient  in  times  past, 
had  now  obtained  mercy.  If  God  be  unchangeable,  then  it  is 
certain  that  the  disobedience  of  Israel  now  will  hereafter  be 
followed  by  mercy. 

"by  their  disobedience.  The  unbelief  of  the  Jews  led  to  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles. 

31.  the  mercy  shewn  to  you.  The  Jews  are  placed  on  the 
same  footing  as  the  Gentiles.  They  had  forfeited  all  claims  and 
rights  under  the  covenant,  and  must  be  restored  just  as  the 
Gentiles  had  been  received, 

32.  This  is  a  brief  summing  up  of  the  history  of  the  past,  Paul 
has  already  distinguished  three  stages  in  it,  marked  out  by  the 
names  of  Adam,  Moses,  and  Christ.  Adam  brought  sin,  Moses 
gave  law,  and  Christ  offers  grace.  He  has  also  distinguished  the 
condition  of  the  Gentile  world  from  that  of  the  Jewish  people. 
The  Gentiles  held  down  the  truth  in  unrighteousness  (in  idolatry 
and  immoralitj'),  and  the  Jews  displayed  a  zeal  for  God  without 
knowledge,  boasted  the  possession  while  neglecting  the  practice 
of  the  law.  He  now  affirms  that  even  in  the  sin  of  mankind  there 
w^as  a  Divine  purpose  ;  Gentiles  and  Jews  alike  were  given  over 
to  disobedience  that  God  might  more  clearly  reveal  His  mere}'. 
Not  only  where  sin  abounded  did  grace  much  more  abound,  but 
sin  was  allowed  to  abound  in  order  that  grace  might  much  more 
abound.  God  can  turn  all  man's  opposition  to  Himself  into  an 
occasion  for  carrying  out  His  purposes.  Cf.  Gal.  iii.  22,  '  Howbeit 
the  Scripture  hath  shut  up  all  things  under  sin,  that  the  promise 
by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  might  be  given  to  them  that  believe,' 
23,  '  But  before  faith  came,  we  were  kept  in  ward  under  the  law. 


252  TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  32 

shut  up  unto  the  faith  which  should  afterwards  be  revealed.'  The 
Gentiles  also  '  were  held  in  bondage  under  the  rudiments  of  the 
world'  until  'the  fulness  of  the  time  came'  (iv.  3,  4).  Dis- 
obedience was  the  prison-house  in  which  mankind  was  kept 
until  the  purpose  of  gra.e  could  be  fulfilled.  How  far  Divine 
sovereignty  and  human  responsibility  mutually  limit  each  other 
Paul  does  not  consider.  How  far  individual  men  are  to  be 
blamed  for  a  disobedience  that  subserves  the  ends  of  Divine  mercy 
he  does  not  indicate.  He  states  the  one  side  of  the  truth  with  an 
absoluteness  which  appears  to  exclude  the  other.  But  elsewhere, 
in  warnings  and  counsels  and  appeals,  he  fully  recognizes  man's 
liberty  and  accountability.  This  flight  of  religious  hope  here 
carries  him  into  so  lofty  regions  of  theological  speculation  that,  for 
the  time  at  least,  the  facts  of  common  experience  are  left  below 
and  dwindle  out  of  sight. 

all:  not  every  individual  man,  but  Israel  as  a  whole  (verse 
26)  and  the  fullness  of  the  Gentiles  (verse  25).  Paul  does  not 
teach  a  dogmatic  absolute  universalism,  for  which  there  is  no 
secure  foundation,  either  in  the  facts  of  human  experience  or 
the  truths  of  Divine  revelation.  We  cannot  be  certain  that 
every  individual  man  will  believe,  and,  therefore,  we  cannot  con- 
fidently affirm  that  God's  purpose  will  be  fulfilled  with  absolute 
universality. 

Paul's  Hope  for  his  People  (25  -3s). 

To  Paul's  expectation  of  the  future,  the  conversion  of  'all 
Israel '  after  '  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles '  has  come  in,  exception 
may  be  taken  on  the  ground  that  it  is  inspired  by  a  narrow 
patriotism,  and  that  the  course  of  human  history  forbids  our 
cherishing  any  illusion  that  this  hope  will  ever  be  fulfilled.  It 
must,  however,  be  carefully  noted  what  Paul  does,  and  what 
he  does  not,  affirm.  He  does  not  assert  that  every  individual 
Israelite  will  be  saved,  but  only  that  the  nation  as  a  whole  will 
at  some  time  be  brought  to  faith.  He  does  not  assert  that  it  will 
be  by  any  act  of  Divine  omnipotence  that  the  change  will  be 
brought  about,  but  that  the  evidence  for  the  Christian  faith  which 
the  converted  Gentiles  will  afford  will  bring  conviction  to  the 
Jewish  people.  The  conversion  will  be  the  result  of  a  genuinely 
moral  and  religious  process.  Paul's  hope  had  its  grounds  not  only 
in  his  Jewish  patriotism,  but  even  in  his  Christian  faith.  This 
nation  had,  as  he  asserted,  enjoyed  many  high  privileges,  and 
discharged  many  useful  functions.  The  revelation  in  Christ  is 
not  independent  of  the  revelation  to  the  Hebrew  people,  but  was 
prepared  for  by  it.  All  who  believe  in  Christ  as  Saviour  and 
Lord  must  recognize  the  deep  debt  that  mankind  owes  to  God's 
chosen  people,  the  organ  of  His  revelation,  and  the  agent  of  His 
purpose.     To  cherish  high  hopes  for  the  future  of  this  people 


TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  25-32  253 

is  not  itself  a  proof  of  any  narrowness  of  feeling,  but  proves  rather 
a  just  judgement  regarding  the  facts  of  history.  Are  these  hopes 
vain  ?  The  degradation  of  the  Jews  at  the  present  day,  absorbed 
as  most  of  them  are  in  money-making,  and  the  difiiculty  of 
securing  many  genuine  conversions  to  Christianity  may  appear 
to  contradict  them  absolutely.  But  on  the  other  hand  the 
persistence  of  the  Jewish  type,  beliefs  and  customs,  in  spite  of 
the  dispersion  of  the  Jews  among  the  nations,  and  the  persecution 
to  which  they  have  been  exposed,  seems  to  indicate  that  God 
has  yet  a  national  restoration  in  view  for  His  chosen  people. 
The  degradation  in  the  worship  of  Mammon  rather  than  God, 
which  even  the  warmest  friends  of  the  Jews  must  admit,  is  the 
inevitable  result  of  their  shameful  treatment  by  professedly 
Christian  nations.  Because  the  Jew  could  nowhere  be  sure  of 
a  home ;  because  everywhere  scorn,  hate,  cruelty,  met  him ; 
because  all  hope  of  the  fulfilment  of  God's  promises  to  His  people 
seemed  taken  from  him,  he  has  become  what  he  is.  Christendom 
must  share  the  burden  of  guilt  and  shame  that  it  is  so.  Again, 
as  Christianity  has  become  hateful  to  the  Jew  because  of  what 
so  called  Christians  have  done,  or  are  still  doing,  against  his 
race,  need  we  wonder  that  there  are  few  conversions  ?  If, 
however,  Christendom  were  to  become  genuinely,  intensely 
Christian,  if  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  were  to  be  won  to 
Christianity,  have  we  any  good  reason  for  assuming  that  this  one 
nation  would  remain  obdurate  in  its  unbelief?  A  genuine,  intense, 
universal  Christianity  would  not  put  any  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  Jewish  faith,  but  would  surely  afford  convincing  evidence. 
It  is  because  we  are  still  so  far  from  seeing  the  condition  Paul 
lays  down — the  gathering  in  the  fullness  of  the  Gentiles — fulfilled, 
that  the  expectation  of  the  conversion  of  the  Jews  seems  so 
unreal.  But  if  we  believe  that  Christ  is  yet  to  be  King  of  kings 
and  Lord  of  lords,  the  conversion  of  the  Jews  becomes  not  only 
a  possible,  but  a  necessary  hope,  grounds  for  which  are  on  the 
one  hand  God's  fidelity,  and  on  the  other  hand  human  heredity. 
Would  not  an  inexplicable  unreason  appear  in  human  history 
as  the  fulfilment  of  Divine  purpose,  if  the  nation  whom  God  had 
used  to  preach  to  others  as  the  bearer  of  His  revelation,  should 
itself  prove  a  castaway?  While  God  cannot  and  will  not  force 
His  salvation  on  an  unwilling  nation,  while  His  fidelity  to  His 
promises  is  always  conditioned  by  human  action,  yet  on  the 
other  hand  the  racial  peculiarities  and  national  characteristics 
that  fitted  the  Hebrew  people  for  its  high  and  holy  calling, 
preserved  in  its  present  descendants,  although  repressed  by  their 
present  circumstances,  would  surely  reassert  themselves  under 
favourable  conditions,  and  so  the  lump  prove  holy  as  its  firstfruits, 
the  branches  as  their  root.  Confidently  may  Christian  faith 
welcome  and  cherish  Paul's  hope  for  his  people. 


254  TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  33-35 

33  O  the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  the 
knowledge  of  God  !  how  unsearchable  are  his  judgements, 

34  and  his  ways  past  tracing  out !   For  who  hath  known  the 

35  mind  of  the  Lord  ?  or  who  hath  been  his  counsellor  ?  or 
who  hath  first  given  to  him,  and  it  shall  be  recompensed 

(v)  xi.  33-36.  Praise  of  God's  wisdom.  Paul,  as  if  conscious 
that  his  thought  has  soared  into  heights  of  speculation,  where 
the  mind  of  man  cannot  long  hold  on  its  flight,  at  this  point 
arrests  his  argument  to  acknowledge  w^ith  adoring  gratitude  the 
transcendence  of  the  truth  of  God  above  and  beyond  all  knowledge 
and  understanding  of  man.  With  this  doxology  he  fitly  closes  his 
doctrinal  statement,  (a)  God  is  beyond  the  reach  of  man's 
knowledge  and  understanding  in  His  thoughts  and  plans,  dealings 
and  works  (33).  (b)  As  His  mind  is  hidden  from  all,  He  needs 
not  the  counsel  or  the  help  of  any  man  (34,  35).  (c)  In  Him  is 
the  origin,  through  Him  is  the  continuance,  unto  Him  is  the 
destination  of  the  whole  universe,  and  therefore  praise  is  due  to 
Him  in  every  period  of  existence  (36). 

33.  deptli :  a  figurative  expression  for  the  immeasurable,  un- 
fathomable, inexhaustible  character  of  God's  nature  and  attributes. 
Cf.  Ps.  xxxvi.  6,  '  Thy  judgements  are  a  great  deep.' 

of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  the  knowledg'e  of 
God :  better  as  in  R.  V.  margin,  '  of  the  riches  and  the  wisdom 
and  the  knowledge.'  'Riches'  refers  to  God's  superabounding 
grace  (ii.  4,  ix.  23,  x.  12 :  cf.  Eph.  i.  7,  18,  ii.  7,  iii.  16). 

wisdom :  all-embracing  understanding  of  the  world  as  a  whole 
(i  Cor.  i.  21-24 ;  Eph.  iii.  lo). 

knowledge :  full  grasp  of  each  thing. 

past  tracing  out :  lit. '  not  to  be  tracked  by  footprints.'  The 
Book  of  Job  is  an  extended  commentary  on  the  one  theme  of 
the  mystery  of  God's  ways  (v.  9,  ix.  10,  xxxiv.  24).  Daring  as 
Paul  sometimes  is  in  his  thought,  venturesome  in  his  faith,  subtle 
in  intellect,  and  keen  in  insight,  yet  even  he  is  led  to  confess  that 
God's  ways  are,  after  all,  beyond  the  reach  of  our  understanding. 

34.  This  quotation  is  from  Isa.  xl.  13.  It  is  quoted  again  in 
I  Cor.  ii.  16.  The  words  occur  in  a  passionate  protest  against 
idolatry,  in  which  the  absoluteness  of  the  one  God  finds  vivid 
and  vigorous  expression.  This  quotation  justifies  what  has 
just  been  said  about  the  depth  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge 
of  God ;  it  transcends  all  man's  capacity  to  produce,  or  even  to 
apprehend. 

35.  This  is  quoted  from  Job  xli.  n,  but  differs  from  the 
LXX,  and  comes  nearer  the  Hebrev/.  'Who  hath  first  given 
unto  me,  that  I  should  repay  him  ? '     This  illustrates  the  riches 


TO  THE  ROMANS   11.  36  255 

unto  him  again  ?  For  of  him,  and  through  him,  and  36 
unto  him,  are  all  things.  To  him  he  the  glory  for  ever. 
Amen. 


of  God.  It  confirms  Paul's  constant  insistence  on  the  fact 
that  man  cannot  render  to  God  anything  that  would  give  him 
a  claim  on  God's  favour.  The  Pharisees  believed  that  they  could 
make  God  their  debtor  by  the  merit  of  their  good  works. 

33.  God  is  the  source,  the  support,  and  the  goal  of  creation. 
The  attempt  to  find  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  in  these  words 
must  be  pronounced  mistaken;  God  as  the  source  of  all  might  refer 
to  the  Father,  God  as  the  support  of  all  to  the  Son,  but  God  as 
the  goal  of  all  does  not  correspond  to  the  place  or  the  function 
of  the  Spirit  in  the  N.  T.  doctrine.  Of  course,  if  we  were  at 
liberty  to  be  guided  by  philosophic  speculation  in  scriptural 
exegesis,  the  phrase  'unto  him'  might  be  taken  to  describe  the 
work  of  the  Spirit  as  the  return  of  God  to  Himself  from  what  is 
called  His  otherness  in  the  universe,  His  going  forth  being  the 
work  of  the  Logos  or  Son.  But  it  seems  more  consistent  with 
Paul's  thought  to  regard  the  Godhead  in  its  unity  as  in  these 
manifold  relations  with  the  universe. 

To  him  be  the  glory.  Cf.  xvi.  27  ;  Gal.  i.  5  ;  Phil.  iv.  20  ; 
2  Tim.  iv.  18;  Heb.  xiii.  21.  The  word  'glory' here  does  not 
mean  the  splendour  that  manifests  God's  perfection,  or  that  per- 
fection itself;  but  is  used  in  a  sense  nearer  the  original  meaning, 
'opinion'  for  'honour'  or  'praise.'  To  give  glory  to  God  is  to 
hallow  His  name. 

for  ever:  /;/.  'unto  the  ages.*  Whatever  new  phases  or  stages 
of  existence  there  may  yet  be,  '  the  plural  denotes  the  individual 
ages  whose  sum  is  eternity.*  There  are  many  variations  of  phrase 
to  express  the  same  idea:  'unto  the  age'  (Heb.  v.  6),  'unto  the 
age  of  the  age'  (Heb.  i.  8), '  unto  the  ages  of  the  ages'  (Gal.  i.  5)  ;  all 
these  are  attempts  to  express  in  terms  of  time  what  transcends  time. 

Amen.  This  is  a  Hebrew  word  meaning  *  surely,'  used  in 
confirmation  of  what  has  been  said  or  asked  (Deut.  xxvii.  15  ; 
Ps.  Ixxii.  19  ;  Jer.  xi.  5).  This  use  of  the  word  passed  from 
the  Jewish  synagogue  to  the  Christian  Church.  In  Rev.  iii. 
14  Christ  is  called  '  the  Amen,  the  faithful  and  true  witness,'  and 
in  2  Cor.  i.  20  it  is  said  of  Christ  in  regard  to  God's  promises, 
'  in  him  is  the  yea  [the  Divine  fulfilment]  :  wherefore  also  through 
him  is  the  Amen  [the  human  confirmation  of  God's  fidelity].' 


256  TO  THE  ROMANS   12.  i 

12      I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies  of 

SECOND  PART. 

THE  PRACTICAI.  APPLICATION,     xii.  1— 3CV.  12. 

Paul  usuaUy  distinguishes  the  doctrinal  and  the  practical  part 
of  his  letters,  but  his  separation  is  more  marked  in  Romans  than 
in  Ephesians,  Galatians,  Colossians,  i  and  2  Thessalonians.  In 
the  practical  part  of  Romans  there  are  two  main  divisions,  one 
dealing  generally  with  the  Christian  life  (xii,  xiii),  the  other 
treating  specially  some  questions  of  importance  in  the  circum- 
stances of  the  Christian  Church  in  Rome  (xiv — xv.  12). 

I.  General  Principles  of  Cliristian  Idfe.  xii,  xiii. 
The  topics  dealt  with  in  this  division  are:  (i)  Christian  life  as 
a  sacrifice  (xii.  i,  2).  (2)  The  ministry  of  spiritual  gifts 
(3-8).  \3)  The  law  of  love  in  its  manifold  applications  (9-21). 
(4)  The  Christian's  duty  to  the  State  (xiii.  1-7).  (5)  Love  as 
the  fulfilment  of  all  law  (8-10).  (6)  The  nearness  of  Christ's 
Second  Coming  (11-14). 

(i)  xii.  I,  2.     Christian  life  as  a  sacrifice. 

la)  It  is  the  Apostle's  earnest  desire  that  those  whom  God  has  so 
fully  and  freely  saved  and  blessed  should  bring  as  a  thank-offering 
unto  God  (which  will  both  have  a  moral  value  and  afford  God 
a  satisfaction  which  no  animal  sacrifices  possess  and  confer),  even 
their  bodily  desires  and  activities  in  a  conscious  and  voluntary 
surrender  to  His  will  for  His  use  (i).  {h)  Instead  of  following 
the  fashion  of  the  society  around  them,  their  character  is  to 
undergo  a  change  corresponding  with  and  consequent  on  the 
enlightening  and  quickening  of  their  moral  discernment,  so  that  by 
their  moral  progress  they  may  be  increasingly  fitted  to  understand 
God's  purpose,  which  is  distinguished  by  its  excellence  in  all 
respects  (2). 

1 .  I  beseech  you  therefore.  This  is  a  regular  form  of  exhor- 
tation with  Paul ;  so  Eph,  iv.  I ;  i  Tim.  ii.  i ;  i  Cor.  iv.  16. 

therefore.  This  points  back  to  the  whole  doctrinal  statement, 
election,  vocation,  justification,  sanctification,  glorification — all  are 
motives  for  holy  living.  This  word  is  expanded  in  the  phrase 
the  mercies  of  God,  which  is  a  comprehensive  description  of  all 
God  has  done  to  save  and  bless  man,  and  defines  the  Divine 
motive.  In  2  Cor.  i.  3  God  is  called  '  the  Father  of  mercies ' ;  in 
Ps.  cxix.  156  it  is  said  of  God,  *  Great  are  thy  tender  mercies, 
O  Lord.' 


TO  THE  ROMANS   12.  i  157 

God,  to  present  your  bodies  a   living  sacrifice,   holy, 
acceptable    to  God,  which  is  your  reasonable  service. 

present :  a  technical  term  for  bringing  an  offering.  It  is  used 
of  the  presentation  of  the  babe  Jesus  in  the  temple  (Luke  ii.  22) ; 
Paul  presents  his  converts  (Col.  i.  28),  Christ  his  church  (Eph. 
V.  27),  the  Christian  himself  (Rom.  vi.  13). 

bodies:  lit.  as  in  vi.  13,  the  'members*  are  to  be  presented. 
The  body  is  spoken  of  in  this  verse,  the  mind  in  the  next. 
Christianity  claims  a  purification  and  sanctification  of  the  body. 
The  sacrifice  of  the  body  is  the  avoidance  of  all  self-indulgence 
in  the  gratification  of  animal  appetite  or  sensual  desire,  the 
endurance  of  all  hardship  or  w^ant  of  the  body  that  the  service 
of  Christ  may  demand,  the  exercise  of  all  the  powers  of  the  body 
in  doing  the  work  of  Christ  in  the  world.  There  seem  to  be  two 
reasons  why  Paul  lays  stress  on  this  Christian  use  of  the  body  : 
(i)  the  prevalence  of  sexual  vice  in  the  pagan  world,  (2)  the 
tendency  to  regard  the  body,  because  material,  as  essentially  evil, 
and  therefore  to  excuse,  or  treat  as  morally  indifferent,  the  sins 
of  the  body.  The  members  of  the  body  are,  according  to  Paul's 
view,  to  be  used  as  weapons  of  righteousness  unto  God  (vi.  13). 
As  the  bodies  of  Christians  are  members  of  Christ  and  temples 
of  the  Spirit  (i  Cor.  vi.  15,  19),  God  is  to  be  glorified  in  the  body, 

a  living  sacrifice.  The  animal  offerings  of  the  Jewish  ritual 
were  slain,  but  the  Christian  offers  himself  not  only  alive,  but  by 
pure  and  holy  living  unto  God.     ^  ^ 

holy  :  unblemished,  free  of  defect  or  stain.  Lev.  xix.  2,  *  Ye 
shall  be  holy  :  for  I  the  Lord  your  God  am  holy.' 

acceptable :  //'/.  *  well-pleasing.'  Phil.  iv.  18  ;  Rom.  xiv.  18. 
Ritual  ofierings  were  not  pleasing  unto  God  (Isa.  i.  10-16),  but 
the  sacrifice  of  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart  was  (Ps.  li.  16,  17). 

reasonable  service:  or,  'worship.'  This  does  not  mean  a 
worship  which  it  is  reasonable  for  you  to  offer,  but  a  worship 
which  befits  your  reason.  It  is  a  spiritual  offering  as  contrasted 
with  the  oflfering  of  brute  beasts  ;  i  Pet.  ii.  5,  *  a  holy  priesthood, 
to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  through  Jesus 
Christ.'  Although  Paul  does  not,  like  the  author  of  Hebrews, 
employ  the  argument  of  O.  T.  typology,  and  although  the  Chris- 
tian rehgion  knows  only  Christ  as  mediator,  and  all  believers 
as  having  freedom  of  access  unto  God,  it  is  interesting  to  note 
what  use  Paul  makes  of  sacrificial  or  sacerdotal  phraseology. 
He,  in  Phil.  ii.  jn  -^presents  the  shedding  of  his  blood  in  the 
martyrdom^l^yj.'j,'^  n  .pecting  as  the  libation  which  accompanied 
a  sacrifiy^jj'^gj.  >  ^^  j^.  18,  likens  the  gift  of  the  Philippians  to  the 
ince^'gg  than  the  least^'^  when  the  sacrifice  was  being  made.  (So 
^     not  to  tlxink  of)     ^"  ^°°'-  ^^-  ^^  ^^  states  his  purpose  to 

S 


2S8  TO  THE  ROMANS  12.  2 

2  And  be  not  fashioned  according  to  this  world :  but  be 
ye  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your  mind,  that  ye 

be  'a  minister  of  Christ  Jesus  unto  the  Gentiles,  ministering  in 
Sacrifice  the  gospel  of  God,  that  the  offering  up  of  the  Gentiles 
might  be  made  acceptable,  being  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost.' 
Such  figurative  language  does  not,  however,  lend  any  support 
to  sacramentarian  assumptions  or  sacerdotal  pretensions  in  the 
Christian  Church. 

2.  Having  dealt  with  the  body,  and  shewn  that  the  separation 
of  the  body  from  sin  and  dedication  unto  God  itself  involves 
a  spiritual  service  of  God,  Paul  now  shews  more  fully  and  clearly 
what  that  spiritual  service  is  ;  it  has  a  negative  and  a  positive 
aspect. 

fashioned.  Not  an  essential  but  an  external  resemblance  is 
suggested  by  this  word,  whereas  transformed  implies  a  thorough 
change,  which  is  elsewhere  spoken  of  as  a  birth,  a  resurrection, 
a  new  creation.  As  man's  destiny  lies  elsewhere  he  cannot  realize 
his  true  nature  in  doing  as  the  world  does,  he  can  only  follow 
a  fashion,  assume  a  vain  show.  The  Greek  words  rendered 
*  fashioned '  and  '  transformed  *  present  a  marked  contrast.  More 
literally  the  first  word  might  be  rendered  configured.  The  figure 
{schema)  is  external  semblance  ;  the  form  {morphe)  is  essential 
nature.  Cf.  Phil.  ii.  6,  Christ  was  in  *  the  form  {morphe)  of  God,' 
and  was  *  found  in  fashion  {schema)  as  a  man,' 

world :  rather,  '  age,'  to  emphasize  the  fleeting  character  of 
man's  present  surroundings.  The  present  age  was  contrasted 
in  Jewish  thought  with  the  age  of  the  Messiah  (Matt.  xii.  32  ; 
Luke  XX.  34,  35  ;  Eph.  i.  21).  As  the  present  age  is  transitory, 
and  not  eternal ;  defective,  and  not  perfect ;  subject  to  the  ruler 
of  this  age,  *  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air'  (Eph.  ii.  2),  and 
not  the  Ruler  of  the  ages,  God  over  all ;  the  word  aeon,  as  the 
word  cosmos  in  John,  gets  a  moral  meaning.  It  is  the  period  of 
evil.     (Gal.  i.  4,  'the  present  evil  age.') 

the  renewing"  of  your  mind.  The  mind,  the  faculty  for 
moral  discernment,  may  come  under  the  power  of  the  bodily 
appetites.  Then  it  is  a  mind  of  the  flesh  (Col.  ii.  18) ;  but  it  may 
also  be  filled  with  the  Spirit,  and  then  it  is  the  mind  of  Christ 
(i  Cor.  ii.  13-16).  Baptism,  as  marking  the  entrance  into  the 
Christian  life,  is  described  as  'the  washing  of  regeneration  and 
renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost'  (Titus  iii.  5).  Although  at  con- 
version a  decisive  change  of  mind  takes  P\"\°  i^^^  Greek  word 
rendered  'repentance'  in  the  N.  T.  literally  m'  defines  ore  of  mind), 
yet  this  change  is  also  progressive  :  2  Cor.  iv."^^'^  °'  rnerc^qj-j  man 
is  renewed  day  by  day'  (also  Col.  iii.  10).  ^"^  tender  mei^^an' 
becomes  enlightened  by  this  renewing  thro 


TO  THE  ROMANS   12.  3  259 

may  prove  what  is  the  good  and  acceptable  and  perfect 
will  of  God. 

For  I  say,  through  the  grace  that  was  given  me,  to  3 
every  man  that  is  among  you,  not  to  think  of  himself 

the  outward  life  must  be  steadily  changed  ;  quickened  conscience 
must  shew  itself  in  better  conduct  and  nobler  character,  the 
transformation  here  required. 

that  ye  may  prove  (and  by  proving  may  approve).  The 
result  of  a  changed  life  due  to  a  renewed  mind  is  keener  moral 
discernment,  making  still  further  moral  improvement  possible. 

what  is  the  g'ood  and  acceptable  and  perfect  will  of 
God:  or,  'the  will  of  God,  even  the  thing  which  is  good  and 
acceptable  and  perfect.'  According  to  the  first  interpretation 
the  characteristics  of  the  Divine  will  are  described,  according  to 
the  second  the  contents,  but  the  difference  is  very  slight.  If  the 
will  of  God  have  these  characteristics,  its  contents  will  possess  them. 

g'ood,  the  morally  right;  acceptable,  the  religiously  fit; 
perfect,  what  realizes  the  ideal,  whether  moral  or  religious. 

(2)  xii.  3-8.      The  ministry  of  spiritual  gifts. 

{ci)  As  one  who  has  himself  been  endowed  by  God  with  the 
grace  of  apostleship,  and  so  can  claim  the  right,  and  discharge 
the  duty,  of  giving  counsel  to  believers.  Paul  urges  on  all  who 
have  gifts  first  of  all  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  their  place  and 
powers  (3).  (6)  One  reason  for  this  self-scrutiny  and  self-limita- 
tion  is  the  organic  unity  of  the  church,  in  which  the  members, 
as  having  a  capacity  for  and  being  engaged  in  the  exercise  of 
various  functions,  are  mutually  dependent  (4,  5).  (c)  Each  man 
accordingly  is  exhorted  to  use  his  own  gift  in  its  proper  sphere 
and  its  appropriate  manner,  whether  his  function  is  some  form 
of  instruction,  administration,  or  beneficence  (6-8).  While  these 
spiritual  gifts  were  a  gain  to  the  church  they  were  also  a  danger, 
leading  to  ostentation,  rivalry,  and  division  (see  i  Cor.  xii,  xiii), 
the  more  showy  being  often  preferred  to  the  more  useful  endow- 
ment. Paul,  therefore,  shews  how  these  gifts  may  be  used,  not 
according  to  the  fashion  of  this  world,  but  in  accordance  with 
the  renewing  of  their  minds. 

3.  the  grace:  the  spiritual  gift  given  him  as  an  apostle,  in 
virtue  of  which,  without  estimating  himself  beyond  due  measure, 
or  trespassing  beyond  his  own  proper  province,  he  may  exercise 
authority  in  the  regulation  of  the  worship  and  work  of  the 
Christian  Church  (i.  5,  xv.  15,  16;  i  Cor.  iii.  10  'as  a  wise 
master-builder,'  xv.  10  ;  Gal.  ii.  9  ;  Eph.  iii.  a.  7,  8,  '  Unto  me,  who 
,■71  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  was  this  grace  given'). 
V     not  to  think  of  himself  more  hig-hly  than  he  ought  to 

S    2 


26o  TO  THE  ROMANS   12.  4-6 

more  highly  than  he  ought  to  think ;  but  so  to  think  as 
to  think  soberly,  according  as  God  hath  dealt  to  each 

4  man  a  measure  of  faith.     For  even  as  we  have  many 
members  in  one  body,  and  all  the  members  have  not 

5  the  same  office :  so  we,  who  are  many,  are  one  body  in 

6  Christ,   and  severally  members  one  of  another.     And 
having  gifts  differing  according  to  the  grace  that  was 

think;  but  so  to  think  as  to  think  soberly.  This  reading 
reproduces  the  play  on  words  in  the  Greek,  but  more  literally 
we  might  render  'not  to  be  high-minded  beyond  what  one  ought 
to  be  minded,  but  to  be  minded  so  as  to  be  sober-minded.'  This 
injunction  is  supported  by  two  reasons  :  (i)  Whatever  a  man  has, 
God's  grace  bestows,  his  faith  receives  ;  (2)  no  one  gift  is  to  be 
esteemed  above  another  so  as  to  encourage  a  sense  of  superiority 
in  the  possessor,  because  it  is  God  who  assigns  to  each  man  just 
the  gift  which  He  pleases.  There  is  no  choice  or*  merit  in  the 
possession. 

a  measure  of  faith.  A  man's  faith  is  the  measure  of  his 
possession  and  exercise  of  spiritual  gifts. 

4,  5.  Each  man  must  think  no  more  and  no  less  of  himself 
than  he  ought,  for  he  has  a  function  to  discharge  in  a  society. 
If  he  thinks  too  highly  of  himself,  he  will  exceed  his  proper 
limits  and  trespass  on  another's  sphere.  If  he  thinks  too  meanly 
of  himself,  he  will  fail  to  render  all  the  service  to  the  Christian 
society  which  it  requires.  Paul  expresses  the  truth  of  the  mutual 
dependence  of  the  members  in  the  unity  of  the  church  by  a 
familiar  figure  of  speech,  that  of  a  living  body  and  its  parts. 
In  I  Cor.  xii.  12-31  the  same  thought  is  worked  out  very  much 
more  fully  than  here.  In  Eph.  iv.  15,  16,  and  Col.  i.  18,  the 
same  metaphor  is  used  to  illustrate  the  relation  of  the  church  as 
the  body  to  Christ  as  the  head. 

5.  in  Christ.     This  suggests  the  thought  of  Christ  as  head. 
severally.     This  may  be  paraphrased  'with  respect  to  in- 
dividuality,* or,  *  as  concerning  our  several  positions.' 

members  one  of  another :  the  phrase  is  not  strictly  correct. 
The  members  are  members  of  the  body,  but  not  of  one  another ; 
the  leg  is  not  a  member  of  the  hand.  The  thought,  however, 
is  this— that  as  each  ministers  to  the  life  of  the  whole,  it  ministers 
to  the  life  of  each  other  part. 

6-8.  There  are  two  questions  about  the  construction  in  this 
passage,  (i)  Should  the  clause  'having  gifts,  &c.,'  be  joined  to 
the  preceding  clause  (verse  5),  or  should  it  be  joined  to  the  clauses 
following,  in  verses  6,  7,  8  ?     The  latter  is  more  probable.     (2) 


TO  THE  ROMANS  12.  i^  261 

given  to  us,  whether  prophecy,  let  us  prophesy  according 
to  the  proportion  of  our  faith ;  or  ministry,  let  us  give  7 
ourselves  to  our  ministry;   or  he  that  teacheth,  to  his 

Should  we  supply  finite  verbs,  as  is  done  in  the  R.  V.  for  each 
of  the  succeeding  clauses,  or  should  we  regard  all  the  nouns, 
which  are  in  the  accusative  case,  as  dependent  on  'having,'  as  for 
instance,  should  we  render  'having  prophecy  according  to  the 
proportion  of  faith,  or  ministry  in  matters  of  ministration  '  ?  The 
former  is  decidedly  the  simpler  construction,  and  is  generally 
adopted. 

6.  prophecy :  inspired  utterance  of  truth.  The  prophet  was 
not  to  go  beyond  what  his  spiritual  endowment,  as  conditioned  by 
his  faith,  warranted.  He  was  not  to  claim  inspiration  when  he 
was  not  conscious  of  being  inspired  ;  he  was  not  to  feign  the 
inspired  mood  when  he  did  not  feel  the  Spirit's  impulse ;  he  was 
not  to  represent  his  own  opinions  and  conclusions  as  Divine 
oracles.  The  story  of  Savonarola  offers  a  pathetic  illustration 
of  a  prophet  going  beyond  the  measure  set  to  his  prophesying 
by  faith. 

according-  to  the  proportion  of  our  faith.  Faith  means 
here,  not  the  Christian  truth  that  is  believed,  for  the  word  had 
not  yet  gained  that  meaning,  but  the  trust  in  God's  grace  that  is 
exercised. 

7.  ministry.  The  Greek  word  here  used  has  given  us  the 
words  deacon  and  diaconate.  It  is  used  in  the  N.  T.  generally  of 
Christian  service  of  others  (Rom.  xi.  13 ;  i  Cor.  xii.  5  ;  Eph.  iv. 
12),  but  especially  of  the  distribution  of  alms  and  the  attention 
to  bodily  wants,  which  the  Christian  Church  regarded  as  a  duty 
that  it  owed  to  its  members  (i  Cor.  xvi.  15  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  4).  It 
was  this  ministry  to  which  the  Seven  were  appointed  (Acts  vi. 
1-6).  As  '  ministry  *  is  here  mentioned  as  a  special  gift  along 
with  others,  it  is  probably  the  narrower  sense  of  the  term  that 
is  to  be  taken.  The  man  who  cared  for  the  bodily  wants  of 
others  was  not  to  forsake  his  work,  but  to  give  himself  heartily 
to  it,  seeing  in  it  a  service  of  God  just  as  in  prophecy,  or  exhorta- 
tion, or  teaching.  A  false  spirituality  then  as  now  might  be 
prone  to  scorn  the  secular  work  of  the  church.  We  must  not 
assume  a  special  office  of  deacon  in  the  Roman  Church,  although 
by  the  time  Paul  wrote  to  the  Philippians  there  was  so  distinct 
an  office  in  Philippi. 

he  that  teacheth.  Paul  has  to  vary  the  phrase,  using  instead 
of  the  abstract  noun  'teachings'  the  present  participle  'he  that 
teacheth,'  because  had  he  used  the  abstract  noun  it  would  have 
meant  *  he  that  is  taught.'  The  teacher,  in  contrast  to  the  prophet, 
did  not  give  fresh  revelations  of  truth,  but  rather  impressed  on 


262  TO  THE  ROMANS   12.  8 

teaching ;  or  he  that  exhorteth,  to  his  exhorting  :  he  that 
giveth,  let  him  do  it  with  hberahty ;  he  that  ruleth,  with 
dih'gence ;  he  that   sheweth   mercy,   with   cheerfulness. 

the  mind  and  applied  to  the  life  the  truth  that  had  already  been 
received  (i  Cor.  xii.  28;  Eph.  iv.  11). 

8.  exhortetlx :  encourages,  consoles,  supports.  This  was  a  kind 
of  teaching  for  which  Barnabas  was  noted  (Acts  iv.  36).  We  are 
not  to  suppose  there  was  a  separate  office  of  exhorter,  as  distinct 
from  prophet  or  teacher;  but  in  the  trying  circumstances  in  which 
the  church  was  often  placed  this  was  a  much-needed  and  much- 
valued  ministry. 

giveth.  This  refers  to  the  rich  man  who  liberally  gave  his 
wealth  in  alms.  As  confession  of  Christ  meant  for  some  of  the 
converts  loss  of  property,  and  even  of  means  of  livelihood,  and  as 
many  of  the  members  of  the  church  were  very  poor,  this  giving 
played  an  important  part.  In  the  Jerusalem  Church  there  was 
an  approach  to  a  voluntary  communism. 

liberality :  lit  *  singleness ' ;  that  is,  with  unmixed  motives, 
not  from  ostentation,  or  ambition,  or  vanity.  If  a  man  has  the 
right  motive  he  will  give  in  the  right  measure ;  the  single-minded 
will  be  according  to  his  means  the  liberal  giver  (2  Cor.  viii.  2, 
ix.  11-13). 

ruletli :  in  any  position  of  authority  or  influence,  whether  in 
the  church  (i  Thess.  v.  12  ;  i  Tim.  v.  17),  or  in  the  home  (i  Tim. 
iii.  4,  5,  12).  This  rule  was  as  yet  a  personal  function,  not  an 
official  prerogative ;  in  every  community  there  are  men  who  lead, 
whether  they  fill  a  public  office  or  not. 

shewetli  nxercy :  does  acts  of  kindness  distinct  from,  and  in 
addition  to,  giving  alms :  ^  To  visit  the  widows  and  the  fatherless 
in  their  affliction,'  'to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted,'  *to  visit  the 
sick  and  the  prisoners,'  these  were  all  forms  of  shewing  mercy 
recognized  in  the  early  Christian  Church. 

cheerfulness.  Kindness  done  gladly  and  heartily  has  far 
greater  worth  than  when  it  is  done  evidently  from  a  sense  of  duty. 
2  Cor.  ix.  7,  *  God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver.'  *  A  warm  heart,  a  pure 
conscience,  and  a  serene  mind'  made  cheerfulness  a  characteristic 
of  the  early  Christians  (Acts  ii.  46,  v.  41 ;  Phil.  i.  4,  18;  i  Thess. 
v.  16). 

Spiritual  Gifts  (3-8). 

The  word  charisma^  lit.  *  thing  of  grace,'  is  applied  in  tlie  N.  T. 
to  any  spiritual  endowment  from  the  work  of  an  apostle  (Rom. 
i.  11)  to  abstinence  from  marriage  from  religious  motives  (i  Cor. 
vii.  7).  These  gifts  are  not  distinguished  as  natural  and  super- 
natural,   A  man's  gift  determined  his  function  in  the  church,  but  in 


TO  THE  ROMANS    12.  9  263 

Let  love  be  without  hypocrisy.    Abhor  that  which  is  evil ;  9 

the  Apostolic  Age  at  least  did  not  confer  on  him  an  office.  One 
person  might  be  endowed  with  more  than  one  chansnt.  Here,  as 
in  Corinthians,  Paul  insists  on  the  exercise  of  these  gifts  for  the 
greatest  good  of  all.  In  i  Cor.  xii  Paul  mentions  as  gifts  the 
word  of  wisdom  and  of  knowledge,  faith,  gifts  of  healings, 
workings  of  miracles,  prophecy,  discernings  of  spirits,  divers 
kinds  of  tongues  (probably  ecstatic  utterances),  and  the  interpreta- 
tion of  tongues. 

(3)  xii.  9-21.      The  law  of  love  in  its  manifold  applications. 

As  in  I  Corinthians  the  discussion  about  spiritual  gifts  (xii)  is 
followed  by  the  exposition  of  '  a  more  excellent  way '  in  the  match- 
less description  of  love  (xiii),  so  here  Paul  passes  at  once  from  the 
use  of  gifts  to  the  exercise  of  love  in  manifold  ways.  The  various 
counsels  follow  one  another  without  any  apparent  order.  While 
most  of  the  duties  enforced  can  be  regarded  as  applications  of 
love,  yet  he  does  not  strictly  confine  himself  to  the  one  subject. 
The  association  of  ideas  is  not  always  obvious,  and  in  some  cases 
any  attempt  to  shew  a  close  connexion  would  be  forced.  Hence 
an  analysis  of  this  passage  can  be  little  more  than  an  enumeration 
of  the  precepts  given. 

(rt)  Love  ought  to  possess  the  moral  quality  of  sincerity,  shewn 
in  hatred  of  evil  and  devotion  to  good  (9).  (6)  The  first  sphere 
of  love  is  the  Christian  brotherhood,  and  here  it  shews  itself  as 
a  family  affection,  and  in  respectful  consideration  for  others  (10); 
(c)  In  the  work  of  the  church  there  should  be  both  diligence  and 
enthusiasm,  and  it  should  be  regarded  as  a  service  of  Christ  (11). 
{d)  The  joy  which  hopefulness  inspires  and  the  endurance  needed 
in  affliction  are  to  be  secured  by  continuance  steadily  in  prayer 
(12).  (e)  Love  should  take  the  practical  forms  of  helping  the 
needy  among  the  members  of  the  church,  and  of  ready  entertain- 
ment of  any  brethren  travelling  (13).  (/)  Love  should  display 
itself  in  desiring  not  the  evil,  but  the  good,  even  of  those  who 
shew  hostility  and  inflict  injury ;  in  readiness  of  sympathy,  whether 
with  joy  or  with  sorrow ;  and  in  a  conciliatory  disposition,  from 
which  ambition  and  conceit  are  both  absent,  and  in  which  humility 
appears  (14-16).  {g)  Wrong  should  not  be  repaid  by  wrong, 
the  respect  of  other  men  should  be  sought,  causes  of  estrangement 
should  as  far  as  possible  be  avoided,  revenge  should  not  be  taken, 
but  the  judgement  of  the  sinner  should  be  left  to  God  who  claims 
it  as  His  right  alone,  and  an  attempt  should  bis  made  by  kindness 
to  bring  him  to  penitence  for  the  wrong  he  has  done  ;  for  by 
indulging  in  revenge  the  Christian  allows  himself  to  come  again 
under  the  dominion  of  sin,  while  by  patience  and  pardon  he  gains 
the  victory  over  evil  (17-21). 

9.  without  hypocrisy.     Cf.  2  Cor.  vi.  6 ;  i  Tim.  i.  5  ;  Jas.  iii. 


264  TO  THE  ROMANS   12.  fo-12 

10  cleave  to  that  which  is  good.     In  love  of  the  brethren  be 
tenderly  affectioned  one  to  another ;  in  honour  preferring 

11  one  another;  in  diligence  not  slothful;  fervent  in  spirit; 

12  serving  the  Lord;  rejoicing  in  hope;  patient  in  tribula- 

17  ;  I  Pet.  i.  22.  Love  is  to  be  genuine,  felt  when  it  is  expressed, 
sincere,  arising  from  no  mixed  motive,  honest,  shewing  itself 
as  it  is. 

Abhor  . . .  cleave.  In  the  Greek  these  words  are  participles. 
We  may,  as  in  the  R.  V.,  render  them  as  imperatives,  or,  which 
seems  preferable,  we  may  treat  '  Let  love  be  without  hypocrisy ' 
as  equivalent  to  '  love  ye  without  hypocrisy,'  and  make  these 
participles  qualifications.  The  sincerity  of  love  is  shewn  in  its 
antagonism  to  evil  and  its  devotion  to  good.  The  word  '  abhor ' 
may  be  paraphrased  to  bring  out  its  meaning,  *  loathe  so  as  to 
keep  yourselves  away  from.'  Sincere  love  cannot  approve  or 
even  tolerate  the  evil  in  a  man,  although  it  seeks  his  good ;  its 
aim  must  ever  be  to  combat  the  evil  and  confirm  the  good. 

10.  love  of  the  brethren.  The  Greek  word  is  '  Philadelphia,' 
and  is  used  to  describe  the  closer  bond  that  bound  the  members 
of  the  Christian  Church  to  one  another  as  compared  with  the  love 
they  cherished  for  all  men  (2  Pet.  i.  7). 

tenderly  affectioned.  The  Greek  word  describes  a  strong 
family  affection,  and  indicates  the  estimate  of  the  new  relation 
held  (cf.  Mark  iii,  35). 

in  honour  preferring  one  another.  The  word  rendered 
*  preferring  '  means  Hterally  *  going  before,'  and  accordingly  three 
interpretations  have  been  suggested  :  (i)  '  in  matters  of  honour 
preventing  one  another,'  that  is,  being  first  to  shew  honour; 
(2)  '  lead  the  way  in  honourable  actions,'  giving  an  example  of 
a  life  worthy  of  respect ;  (3)  '  surpassing  one  another,  stimulating 
one  another  by  emulation  in  what  is  good.'  For  the  sense  of  the 
R.  V.  rendering  there  are  several  parallels  (Phil.  ii.  3  ;  i  Thess. 
V.  13).  The  meaning  is  this,  no  man  is  to  be  ambitious  of  getting 
honour  to  himself,  but  each  is  to  be  desirous  of  shewing  honour 
to  others. 

11.  in  dilig'ence  not  slothful:  or,  *  in  zeal  not  flagging.'  This 
refers  not  to  secular  concerns  as  the  A.  V.  rendering  suggests, 
but  to  spiritual  interests  (cf.  Matt.  xxv.  26). 

fervent  in  spirit.  In  Acts  xviii.  25  Apollos  is  described  as 
'fervent  in  spirit.'  It  is  the  human  spirit  which  is  referred  to, 
but  its  fervour  is  the  inspiration  of  the  Divine  Spirit. 

serving  the  Iiord.  This  is  the  supreme  motive  of  Christian 
life,  and  if  that  be  present,  the  inner  life  will  be  intense,  and  the 
outer  life  energetic.    *  Spirit '  may  have  suggested  '  Lord/  which 


TO  THE  ROMANS   12.  13,  14  265 

tion;  continuing  stedfastly  in  prayer;  communicating  to  13 
the  necessities  of  the  saints  ;  given  to  hospitah'ty.     Bless  14 

here  refers  not  to  the  Father,  but  to  Christ.  Another  reading 
is  *  serving  the  opportunity,'  as  the  Greek  words  for  *  Lord '  and 
'time'  (or  season,  opportunity)  are  very  much  alike.  Ahhough 
the  balance  of  MSS.  authority  is  in  favour  of  the  reading  '  Lord/ 
yet  we  have  a  similar  thought  to  'serving  the  opportunity*  in 
Eph.  V.  16,  'redeeming  the  time,'  literally  'buying  up  the  season.' 

12.  rejoicing  in  hope.  In  verse  8  cheerfulness  is  commended. 
In  V.  2  there  is  the  exhortation,  *  let  us  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory 
of  God.'  The  Greek  has  the  article  before  hope  here,  indicating 
that  it  is  not  hope  generally,  but  the  Christian  hope  distinctively, 
which  is  to  awaken  joy;  the  connexion  between  love  and  hope 
is  indicated  in  i  Cor  xni.  7,  *  Love  hopeth  all  things.' 

patient  in   tribulation :    enduring  under  persecution       Cf. 

1  Cor.  xiii.  7,  '  Love  endureth  all  things.'  Although  the  Roman 
Church  was  not  at  the  time,  so  far  as  we  know,  suffering 
persecution,  yet  Paul  knew  from  his  own  and  his  converts* 
experience  that  much  had  to  be  suffered  for  the  cause  of  Christ 
(v.  3,  viii.  35  ;  2  Cor.  i.  4  ;   i  Thess.  i.  6,  iii.  3-7  ;  2  Thess.  i.  4-6), 

continuing'  Etedfastly  in  prayer.  Only  by  constant  com- 
munion with  God  could  hope  be  inspired  and  endurance  be 
sustained  (Acts  i.  14  ;  Col.  iv.  2). 

13.  Two  practical  applications  of  love  are  (1)  sharing  one's 
goods  with  the  needy  members  of  the  church  (verse  8,  xv.  26; 

2  Cor.  ix.  13  ;  Phil.  iv.  15  ;  Heb.  xiii.  16) ;  (2)  shewing  hospitality 
to  Christian  brethren  coming  from  a  distance.  Local  persecution 
often  drove  Christians  from  their  homes,  and  they  needed,  and 
were  sure  to  find,  a  home  wherever  they  might  go  among  Christians 
(i  Tim.  iii.  2  ;  Titus  i.  8  ;  Heb.  xiii.  2  ;  i  Pet.  iv.  9\  Letters  of 
commendation  were  given  by  one  church  to  another  (2  Cor.  iii.  i, 
viii.  18.  23,  2.1).  Rom.  xvi.  i,  2,  is  such  an  introduction  of  Phoebe 
to  the  church  in  Rome.  In  2  John  10  this  hospitality  is  forbidden 
to  teachers  of  error  ;  in  3  John  5  8  Gains  is  commended  for 
shewing,  and  in  verses  9,  10  Diotrephes  is  condemned  for  withhold- 
ing, hospitalit}'.  That  this  custom  in  the  churches  was  in  danger  of 
abuse  is  shewn  by  the  minute  instructions  on  the  subject  of  the 
entertainment  of  strangers  given  in  The  Teachtng  of  the  Tuelve 
Apostles,  one  of  the  earliest  Christian  writings  outside  the  N.  T. 
The  wayfarer  is  to  be  entertained  three  daj^s  at  most  ;  if  he  settles, 
he  must  be  set  to  work;  if  he  will  not  work,  then  he  is  one  'who 
maketh  merchandise  of  Christ'  (chap.  xii). 

ccnununicating-  to  the  necessities  of  the  saints.  A  curious 
alternative  reading  to  this  is  *  taking  part  in  the  commemoration 
of  the  saints*  (by  a  slight  change  of  letters),  as  though  there  were 


266  TO  THE  ROMANS   12.  15-17 

15  them  that  persecute  you;  bless,  and  curse  not.     Rejoice 

16  with  them  that  rejoice;  weep  with  them  that  weep.  Be 
of  the  same  mind  one  toward  another.  Set  not  your  mind 
on  high  things,  but  condescend  to  things  that  are  lowly.  Be 

1 7  not  wise  in  your  own  conceits.  Render  to  no  man  evil  for 
evil.    Take  thought  for  things  honourable  in  the  sight  of 

a  reference  here  to  the  much  later  ecclesiastical  usage  of  holding 
festivals  in  honour  of  martyrs. 

14.  This  seems  to  be  a  reminiscence  of  Matt.  v.  44,  *  Love  your 
enemies,  and  pray  for  them  that  persecute  you.'  Paul  had 
probably  heard  part  at  least  of  the  oral  tradition  of  our  Lord's 
teaching.  This  verse  offers  an  interesting  illustration  of  Paul's 
habit  of  associating  ideas  by  similarity  of  sound.  In  verse  13 
he  says,  rendering  literally,  '  pursue  hospitahty '  (nominative  parti- 
ciple). This  suggests  to  him  in  verse  14  '  bless  them  that  pursue 
you '  (accusative  participle).  The  two  Greek  words  differ  only 
by  one  letter,  e  in  the  nominative,  a  in  the  accusative. 

15.  Sympathy  in  all  circumstances  is  a  severe  test  and  a  sure 
proof  of  love.     If  love  stand  the  test,  it  is  made  stronger  thereby. 

16.  Be  of  the  same  mind,  lit.  *  mind  the  same  thing'  (Phil,  ii, 
2,  iv.  2;  2  Cor.  xiii.  ii).  Pride  or  ambition,  contempt  for  others, 
conceit,  all  hinder  harmony  ;  hence  the  exhortations  that  follow. 

Set  not  your  mind  on  high  thing's  (xi.  20 ;  i  Cor.  xiii.  5). 
This  pride  might  be  in  spiritual  attainments,  as  i  Cor.  xii.  shews. 

condescend  to.  Gr.,  be  carried  away  with  as  by  the  current 
of  a  river ;  that  is,  let  yourself  be  attracted  to,  absorbed  in, 
possessed  by  either  (i)  'things  that  are  lowly,'  the  better  contrast 
to  high  things,  meaning  humble  duties,  'the  daily  round,  the 
common  task,'  or  (2)  'them  that  are  lowly,'  the  more  probable 
rendering,  as  the  word  is  used  elsewhere  in  the  masculine,  and 
not  the  neuter.  As  most  of  the  members  of  the  church  were 
poor,  the  few  rich  men  might  be  prone  to  despise  their  brethren- 
of  lowlier  lot  (cf.  Jas.  ii.  1-9).  ' 

be  not  wise  in  your  own  conceits :  lit.  *  with  yourselves.' 
Cf.  Prov.  iii.  7,  '  Be  not  wise  in  thine  own  eyes.' 

17.  Render  to  no  man  evil  for  evil.  Cf.  Matt.  v.  43,  44  ;  i  Cor* 
xiii.  5,  6 ;  I  Thess.  v.  15  ;  i  Pet.  iii,  9.  ' 

Take  thought  for  things  honourable  in  the  sight  of  all 
men.  The  exact  meaning  to  be  given  to  this  exhortation  can  best 
be  shewn  by  quoting  several  parallel  passages  :  Prov.  iii.  4,  *  So 
shalt  thou  find  favour  and  good  understanding  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  man.'  2  Cor.  iv.  2,  *  By  the  manifestation  of  the  truth 
commending  ourselves  to  every  man's  conscience  in  the  sight  of 
God.'     viii.  21,  'We  take  thought  for  things  honourable,  not  only 


TO  THE  ROMANS  12.  18, 19  267 

all  men.     If  it  be  possible,  as  much  as  in  you  lieth,  be  at  18 
peace  with  all  men.     Avenge   not  yourselves,  beloved,  19 
but  give  place  unto  wrath :  for  it  is  written,  Vengeance 
belongeth  unto  me ;  I  will  recompense,  saith  the  Lord. 

in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  but  also  in  the  sight  of  men.'  While 
a  new  religion  must  in  many  respects  oppose  itself  to  current 
conceptions  and  recognized  standards,  yet  the  adherents  of  a 
new  religion  are  prone  to  flaunt  their  opposition,  and  to  court 
persecution.  While  Paul  never  shrank  from  arousing  antagonism, 
when  conscience  made  the  demand,  yet  here  he  bids  the  Roman 
converts  exercise. foresight  and  caution,  so  as  not  by  their  conduct 
unnecessarily  to  offend  the  scruples,  arouse  the  prejudices,  and  thus 
incur  the  hostility  of  others.  Two  instances  of  his  own  practice 
in  this  respect  are  his  prohibition  of  women  speaking  in  church, 
and  his  censure  of  women  praying  in  public  with  head  uncovered 
(i  Cor.  xi.  1-16).  The  sound  sense  of  the  Apostle  compares 
favourably  with  the  morbid  desire  for  martyrdom  which  even  an 
Ignatius  displays. 

18.  The  connexion  with  the  preceding  exhortation  is  obvious. 
Paul  admits  that  there  may  be  occasions  when  fidelity  to  convic- 
tion compels  us  to  excite  the  hostility  of  others.  Hence  his 
qualification  '  if  it  be  possible.'  But  it  is  each  Christian's  duty 
to  do  his  utmost  to  avoid  a  quarrel ;  he  should  see  to  it  that  when 
the  peace  is  broken,  he  is  not  responsible  for  the  breach. 

19.  beloved.  Paul  expresses  his  love  for  his  readers,  because 
in  this  exhortation  he  is  making  the  severest  demand  on  their 
love  possible. 

give  place  unto  wrath :  or, '  the  wrath.'  Three  explanations 
of  this  phrase  are  given,  (i)  Give  space  to  your  anger.  Put  an 
interval  between  your  emotion  and  its  expression.  Give  your 
temper  time  to  cool.  Delay  of  expression  means  decrease  of 
emotion,  (2)  Give  your  opponent's  anger  room.  Let  him  rage 
as  he  will.  If  you  don't  oppose  him,  his  anger  will  spend  itself. 
(3)  Stand  aside,  and  let  God's  wrath  avenge  your  wrong,  (For 
the  use  of  the  phrase  cf.  Eph.  iv.  27,  '  Neither  give  place  to  the 
devil.')  This  is  the  best  interpretation  as  regards  both  the 
meaning  of  the  Greek  phrase  and  the  context. 

Vengeance  "belong-etli  unto  me,  &c.  This  is  quoted  from 
Deut.  xxxii,  35,  '  Vengeance  is  mine,  and  recompense.'  It  is  quoted 
in  the  same  form  in  Heb.  x.  30.  In  Deuteronomy  the  threat  is 
directed  against  the  chosen  people  ;  in  Hebrews  it  is  a  warning 
to  apostates ;  here  it  is  a  consolation  to  God's  people ;  God  will 
avenge  them  (Luke  xviii.  7,  'And  shall  not  God  avenge  his  elect, 
which  cry  to  him?'). 


268  TO  THE  ROMANS   12.  20— 13.  i 

20  But  if  thine  enemy  hunger,  feed  him ;  if  he  thirst,  give 
him  to  drink  :  for  in  so  doing  thou  shalt  heap  coals  of  fire 

2 1  upon  his  head.     Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome 
evil  with  good. 

13      Let  every  soul  be  in  subjection  to  the  higher  powers : 
for  there  is  no  power  but  of  God ;  and  the  powers  that  be 

20.  This  verse  is  quoted  from  Prov.  xxv.  21,  22,  LXX.  What 
is  meant  by  heaping  'coals  of  fire  upon  his  head?*  (i)  Does  it 
mean  that  we  may  console  ourselves  with  the  thought  that  our 
kindness  but  increases  his  guilt,  and  makes  him  liable  to  greater 
penalty?  This  would  be  a  malicious  motive  for  the  act;  and  the 
context  both  in  the  O.  T.  and  the  N.  T.  represents  the  act  as  good. 
(2)  The  meaning  must  be  that  such  action  will  make  him  ashamed, 
will  awaken  his  conscience,  will  lead  him  to  repentance.  We 
may  get  our  revenge  by  turning  an  enemy  into  a  friend. 

21.  He  who  yields  to  his  passion  and  avenges  an  injury  suffers 
defeat  at  the  hands  of  sin;  but  he  who  turns  a  wrong  done  to 
himself  into  an  occasion  for  shewing  kindness  is  the  victor 
over  sin. 

(4)  xiii.  1-7.  The  Christian's  duty  to  the  state. 
The  topic  which  is  dealt  with  in  this  section  may  have  been  sug- 
gested by  the  previous  exhortation.  Private  revenge  is  prohibited 
in  an  organized  community,  because  the  state  is  charged  with  the 
duty  of  punishing  injuries  and  defending  rights.  In  giving  place  to 
the  state  a  man  allows  God's  wrath  against  sin  to  work,  for  the  state 
is  one  of  the  channels  of  God's  moral  government,  (a)  As  civil 
government  is  a  Divine  appointment,  disobedience  to  it  is  defiance 
of  God,  incurring  condemnation  (i,  2).  {b)  The  state  exists  to  pro- 
mote good  and  repress  evil,  and  therefore  it  has  no  terror  for,  but 
a  claim  on,  every  man  who  seeks  to  do  as  his  conscience  commands, 
while  it  necessarily  inspires  fear  in  the  evil-doers,  as  it  must 
discharge  its  divinely  appointed  function  of  punishment  (3,  4). 
{c)  Principle  as  well  as  prudence  demands  subjection  (5).  {d)  As 
the  state  needs  to  be  supported  by  the  contributions  of  its  subjects, 
the  authority  of  the  state  is  recognized  in  paying  whatever  is  due 
to  it,  while  in  so  doing  the  general  principle  of  meeting  all  our 
obligations  is  applied  (6,  7). 

1.  every  soiQ.  The  phrase  lays  emphasis  on  individual  obliga- 
tion and  responsibility. 

higher  powers :  the  abstract  for  the  concrete  =  those  set  in 
authority  over  others,  Luke  xii.  n  ;  Titus  iii.  i. 

there  is  no  power :  negative  and  general  statement. 

the    powers  that   be:    positive   and    particular  statement. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   13.  2-6  269 

are  ordained  of  God.     Therefore  he  that  resisteth  the  2 
power,  withstandeth  the  ordinance  of  God :  and  they 
that  withstand  shall  receive  to  themselves  judgement. 
For  rulers  are  not  a  terror  to  the  good  work,  but  to  the  3 
evil.     And  wouldest  thou  have  no  fear  of  the  power  ?  do 
that  which  is  good,  and  thou  shalt  have  praise  from  the 
same :  for  he  is  a  minister  of  God  to  thee  for  good.  4 
But  if  thou  do  that  which  is  evil,   be  afraid ;    for  he 
beareth  not  the  sword  in  vain  :  for  he  is  a  minister  of 
God,  an  avenger  for  wrath  to  him  that  doeth  evil.    Where-  5 
fore  ye  must  needs  be  in  subjection,  not  only  because  of 
the  wrath,  but  also  for  conscience  sake.     For  for  this  6 
cause  ye  pay  tribute  also ;  for  they  are  ministers  of  God's 

Government  serves  Divine  purpose  and  possesses  Divine  sanc- 
tion. 

2.  As  resistance  to  government  is  disobedience  to  God,  the 
penalty  government  inflicts  has  the  approval  of  God. 

3.  This  is  a  general  statement  which  may  not  be  true  in 
particular  cases ;  yet,  speaking  broadly,  a  man  will  do  his  duty 
best  by  submitting  to  the  civil  government  (cf.  i  Tim.  ii.  i,  2). 

4.  he :  the  ruler,  or  more  probably  '  it,'  the  power  which  is 
personified  throughout  the  whole  passage. 

2uiuister  of  God :   ///.  *  God's  deacon.* 

to  thee:  in  thy  interest,  for  thy  advantage. 

for  g-ood:  '  to  promote  good,'  to  promote  virtue  and  repress  vice. 

sword.  This  refers  not  to  the  dagger  worn  by  the  emperor 
as  emblem  of  his  power,  but  to  the  sword  by  which  criminals 
were  executed,  which  was  on  certain  occasions  borne  before  the 
magistrate  as  a  symbol  of  his  authority  to  inflict  punishment. 
While  this  passage  takes  capital  punishment  for  granted,  and  so 
far  sanctions  it,  yet  just  as  slavery,  of  which  the  N.  T.  expresses 
no  disapproval,  has  been  abolished  in  man's  moral  progress,  so 
may  capital  punishment  be. 

an  avenger  for  wrath:  'inflicting  punisliment  in  vengeance 
so  as  to  exhibit  wrath,'  that  is,  the  wrath  of  God,  as  the  state  is 
God's  minister. 

5.  Fear  of  punishment  is  not  the  Christian's  motive  of  subjection 
to  the  civil  government ;  as  he  recognizes  the  Divine  appointment 
of  the  state,  his  submission  to  it  is  obedience  to  conscience. 

6.  for  this  cause:    that  is,   for  conscience   sake.      It  seems 


270  TO  THE  ROMANS   13.  7 

service,   attending    continually   upon   this    very    thing. 
7  Render  to  all  their  dues  :  tribute  to  whom  tribute  is  due ; 
custom  to  whom  custom;   fear  to  whom  fear;   honour 
to  whom  honour. 

to  have  been  a  matter  of  principle  in  the  Christian  Church  to  pay 
taxes  without  question  or  complaint,  probably  in  obedience  to  the 
command  of  Christ  (Luke  xx.  20-25). 

ministers :  not  the  same  word  as  above.  Although  this 
word  here  is  also  used  of  secular  services,  it  is  specially  applied 
to  priestly  ministry  (xv.  i6 ;  Heb,  viii.  2).  Paul's  use  of  the 
word  is  intended  to  invest  even  civil  government  with  a  sacred 
character. 

attending  continually :  *  persevering  faithfully  in  their 
office.' 

7.  Paul  passes  from  this  special  subject  to  the  more  general 
theme  of  the  next  paragraph  by  stating  the  broad  principle  which 
applies  in  both  cases. 

tribute :  the  taxes  paid  by  a  subject  nation  (Luke  xx.  23). 

custom:  the  dues  paid  in  any  case  for  the  support  of  civil 
government  (Matt.  xvii.  25).  The  former  was  a  tax  on  persons 
and  property,  the  latter  on  merchandise. 

fear :  awe  felt  to  the  person  executing  justice. 

honour:  respect  due  to  any  person  in  authority. 

Paul's  Views  on  Subjection  to  the  State  (1-7). 

(i)  This  exhortation  would  be  specially  applicable  to  the 
Jewish  converts,  as  the  Jews  at  this  time  were  in  a  very 
turbulent,  rebellious  mood.  A  riot  among  them  led  to  their  ex- 
pulsion from  Rome  a  few  years  before.  The  counsel  was  not, 
however,  needed  by  them  alone.  New  principles  often  tend 
to  excite  revolutionary  expectations  and  efforts,  and  Gentile 
Christians  even  might  regard  the  pagan  and  corrupt  government 
in  Rome  as  deserving  only  condemnation.  (2)  For  Paul  at  this 
time  the  Roman  Empire  was  a  Divine  ordinance.  It  maintained 
law  and  order,  enforced  peace,  protected  person  and  property 
throughout  the  whole  world,  as  known  to  him.  His  Roman 
citizenship,  of  which  he  was  proud,  protected  him  on  several 
occasions  from  the  fury  of  his  own  countrymen.  Unbelieving 
Judaism  is  probably  the  Antichrist  of  the  eschatological  passage 
in  2  Thessalonians,  and  the  Roman  Empire  is  *  he  that  restraineth.' 
When  the  Apocalypse  came  to  be  written,  the  Roman  Empire  had 
begun  to  persecute  the  Christians,  and  the  tone  is  quite  different 
from  that  which  we  find  in  all  Paul's  letters.  Yet  subsequently 
the  Christian  Church  as  a  whole  seems  to  have  sought  to  maintain 


TO  THE  ROMANS   13.  8,9  271 

Owe  no  man  anything,  save  to  love  one  another :  for  8 
he  that  loveth  his  neighbour  hath  fulfilled  the  law.  For  9 
this,  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery,  Thou  shalt  not 

Paul's  attitude.  (3)  Paul's  attitude  has  the  sanction  of  our  Lord 
himself.  He  refused  to  arrogate  to  himself  the  functions  of  civil 
government,  w^hen  he  rebuked  the  attempt  to  submit  a  dispute 
about  property  to  his  judgement  (Luke  xii.  14).  He  paid  the 
temple-tax,  although  as  a  son  he  knew  himself  free  (Matt.  xvii. 
26,  27).  He  gave  no  encouragement  to  Jewish  patriotism  to 
revolt  against  Rome  by  withholding  the  required  tribute  (Matt, 
xxii,  2i).  He  forbade  his  disciple's  attempt  to  rescue,  him  by 
violence  from  the  hands  of  the  Jewish  authorities  (Matt.  xxvi.  52).: 
(4)  The  passage  before  us  is  to  be  explained,  however,  by  the 
historical  situation,  when  it  was  written.  It  lays  down  no 
absolute  principles  of  the  Divine  right  of  kings  or  the  passive 
obedience  of  subjects.  A  government  may  become  so  oppressive 
and  tyrannous  that  it  practically  ceases  to  discharge  the  functions 
of  government,  and  so  loses  its  authority  and  sanction  as  a  Divine 
ordinance.  Then  the  subjects  are  free  to  consider  whether 
revolution  or  rebellion  is  not  required  by  fidelity  to  truth  and 
righteousness.  As  a  rule,  however,  it  is  in  the  interests  of  morality 
and  religion  generally  that,  even  although  the  rule  of  the  govern- 
ment be  not  all  that  might  be  desired,  its  commands  should  be 
obeyed,  unless  conscience  absolutely  forbids,  as  when  the 
Christians  refused  to  offer  Divine  honours  to  Caesar.  The  disease 
in  any  state  must,  however,  be  very  desperate  which  demands 
the  very  drastic  remedy  of  a  civil  war. 

(5)  xii.  8-10.     Love  as  the  fulfilment  of  all  law. 

One  debt  believers  owe  to  all,  and  that  is  love,  and  if  they 
shew  love,  they  fulfil  all  the  commandments^  as  their  afm  is  to 
restrain  from  doing  injury  to  others. 

8.  Owe  no  man.  Paul  passes  from  a  special  to  a  universal 
moral  relation.  We  are  to  pay  all  we  owe,  but  one  debt  we  can 
never  fully  discharge,  as  love  is  an  infinite  obligation. 

Ms  neig-hbonr  :  Gr.  '  the  other '  person  in  the  moral  relation. 

fulfilled:  fully  realized  the  purpose  of  the  law,  which  can 
never  be  perfectly  carried  out  by  mere  external  conformity  to 
positive  commands  of  the  law. 

the  law  :  better  'law' ;  not  the  Mosaic  law  specially,  but  the 
principle  of  law  generally,  in  whatever  commands  it  may  be 
expressed.  As  faith  takes  the  place  of  works  in  the  Christian's 
relation  to  God,  so  love  supersedes  all  positive  external  commands. 
(Cf.  Matt.  xxii.  40.) 

9.  The  law  forbids  any  injury  to  a  neighbour's  family,  person, 


272  TO  THE  ROMANS   13.  lo 

kill,  Thou  shalt  not  steal,  Thou  shalt  not  covets  and  if 
there  be  any  other  commandment,  it  is  summed  up  in 
this  word,  namely,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as 
lo  thyself.  Love  worketh  no  ill  to  his  neighbour :  love 
therefore  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  law. 

and  property,  and  even  the  desire  to  commit  such  injury.  The 
man  who  loves  vs^ill  never  cherish  any  such  desire  or  commit  any 
such  offence.  He  will  even  go  beyond  these  prohibitions,  for  he  will 
recognize  positive  obligations  to  seek  another's  good.  Two  points 
in  this  verse  are  to  be  noted  :  (i)  The  A.  V.  inserts  'Thou  shalt 
not  bear  false  witness '  after  'Thou  shalt  not  steal,'  but  this  reading 
is  very  weakly  supported  ;  and  Paul's  words,  'and  if  there  be  any 
other  commandment,'  explicitly  shew  that  he  does  not  profess  to 
give  a  complete  statement  of  the  commandments,  but  only  speci- 
mens. (2)  The  order  of  the  commandments  differs  from  the 
Hebrew  text,  in  which  the  order  is  this,  the  prohibition  of  murder 
precedes  that  of  adultery.  This  order  is  found  in  Matt.  xix.  18. 
The  same  order  as  here  is  found  in  Luke  xviii.  20  and  Jas.  ii.  11. 
Paul  followed  the  order  of  the  MS.  of  the  LXX  he  had. 

summed  up :  lit.  'brought  to  a  head'  (cf  Eph.  i.  10). 

in  this  word.  Cf.  Matt.  xxii.  40  ;  Mark  xii.  31  ;  Luke  x.  27  ; 
Gal.  v.  14  ;  Jas.  ii.  8.  James  speaks  of  this  saying  as  'the  royal 
law.'  The  teaching  of  Jesus  must  on  this  point  have  influenced 
James  as  well  as  Paul.  The  saying  itself  is  quoted  from  Lev. 
XIX.   18. 

10.  3Love  worketh.  no  ill  to  his  neig-hbour:   expounded  in 
I  Cor.  xiii.  4-6, 

love.  The  Greek  language  had  three  verbs  to  express  the 
idea,  erao,  fileo^  agapao ;  the  one  expressing  the  sexual  passion, 
the  other  family  affection,  and  the  third  a  less  passionate  but 
more  reverent  esteem.  Although  the  noun  formed  from  the  first 
verb  w^as  used  in  Platonic  philosophy  to  express  the  soul's  de- 
votion to  higher  things,  yet  it  is  not  found  in  the  N.  T.  In 
the  LXX,  a  noun  agape  was  formed  from  the  verb  agapao,  but 
seldom  used.  This  word  the  early  Christian  Church  grasped  as 
its  own,  and  it  is  common  in  the  N.  T.  One  of  the  words  used  to 
render  it  in  Latin  was  carinas,  which  has  come  to  us  in  the  form 
of  '  charity,'  but  as  the  meaning  of  this  term  has  been  narrowed 
down  to  either  the  giving  of  alms  or  the  exercise  of  lenient  judge- 
ment, it  is  a  decided  gain  that  the  R.  V.  has  given  the  word  '  love' 
instead  of  the  word  'charity'  as  the  uniform  rendering  of  agape. 
There  are  three  features  of  the  Christian  teaching  on  love  which 
call  for  special  attention,  (i)  The  range  of  the  duty  is  extended 
until  it  is  made  to  include  all  mankind.     Jesus  taught  this  in  the 


TO  THE  ROMANS   13.  ir,  12  273 

And  this,  knowing  the  season,  that  now  it  is  high  time  11 
for  you  to  awake  out  of  sleep  :    for  now  is  salvation 
nearer  to  us  than  when  yfo.  first  believed.     The  night  is  12 
far  spent,  and  the  day  is  at  hand :  let  us  therefore  cast 

parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan,  and  Paul  in  his  assertion  of  the 
abolition  in  Christ  of  all  social,  racial,  or  religious  divisions  among 
mankind.  (2)  In  previous  ethical  teaching  love  had  been  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  duties  ;  for  Christ  quotes  the  O,  T.  to  enforce 
his  teaching,  and  Hillel,  the  Jewish  Rabbi,  is  said  to  have  re- 
quired love  to  all  mankind,  and  to  have  given  the  golden  rule  in 
the  negative  form,  *What  is  hateful  to  thyself  do  not  to  thy 
fellow,'  as  'the  whole  law,'  of  which  'the  rest  is  commentary.' 
Christianity  has  the  distinction,  however,  of  having  raised  love  into 
pre-eminence  as  the  essential,  vital,  and  organic  principle  of  all 
morality.  (3)  Christianity  alone  affords  an  adequate  motive  and 
a  perfect  ideal  of  love  in  the  love  of  God  for  us,  which  is  in  Christ, 
fulfilment :  lit.  pleronta,  bringing  the  law  to  completeness. 

(6)  xii.  1 1- 1 4.      The  nearness  of  Chrisfs  Second  Coming. 

Having  laid  down  the  highest  principle  of  the  Christian  life, 
Paul  now  appeals  to  what  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the  strongest 
motives  for  Christian  living  in  the  Apostolic  Age,  the  belief  in  the 
near  approach  of  the  Second  Advent,  (a)  As  the  time  for  the 
complete  salvation  is  drawing  near,  and  the  period  of  trial  is 
nearly  over,  it  becomes  beUevers  to  cast  off  all  sloth,  to  lay  aside 
all  evil  deeds,  and  to  take  up  the  weapons  of  warfare  against  sin 
(11,  12).  (b)  Instead  of  self-indulgence  in  its  manifold  forms, 
there  should  be  a  strenuous  appropriation  of  the  character  of 
Christ  (13,  14). 

11.  And  this.  The  phrase  recalls  the  appeals  of  the  previous 
sections.  It  might  be  expanded,  '  Do  all  these  things,  because 
you  know,'  &c.     Cf.  i  Cor,  vi.  6,  8 ;  Eph.  ii.  8. 

season:  a  fixed  time,  commonly  used  of  the  period  yet  to 
elapse  before  the  Second  Advent  (i  Cor.  vii.  29 ;  Mark  i.  15 ; 
Heb.  ix.  9).  The  time  of  trial  is  represented  as  a  night  in  which 
the  Christian  is  prone  to  fall  into  the  sleep  of  languor  and  sloth. 
The  Lord's  Second  Advent  is  the  day,  and  the  believer  must 
arouse  himself  to  interest  and  effort. 

salvation :  better, '  our  salvation.'  According  to  Paul's  teach- 
ing salvation  is  only  begun  at  conversion,  and  will  only  be  com- 
pleted when  Christ  comes  in  power  and  glory.  The  eighth 
chapter  states  what  is  all  included  in  this  completed  salvation — the 
redemption  of  the  body,  the  deliverance  of  nature  from  the  bond- 
age of  corruption  into  the  liberty  of  the  glory  of  the  sons  of  God. 

12.  far  spent:  'has  advanced  towards  dawn'  (Luke  ii.  32). 

T 


274  TO  THE  ROMANS   13.  13,  14 

off  the  works  of  darkness,  and  let  us  put  on  the  armour 

13  of  light.  Let  us  walk  honestly,  as  in  the  day ;  not  in 
revelling  and  drunkenness,  not  in  chambering  and  wanton- 

14  ness,  not  in  strife  and  jealousy.  But  put  ye  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  make  not  provision  for  the  flesh, 
io  fulfil  the  lusts  thereof. 

cast  off.  Like  the  night-garment,  all  evil  deeds  befitting  the 
darkness  of  ignorance  and  indolence  are  to  be  laid  aside,  and  the 
armour  of  truth  and  righteousness  for  the  day  of  Christ's  presence 
in  glory  and  power  is  to  be  put  on.  The  figure  of  the  Roman 
soldier's  armour  is  several  times  used  by  Paul,  as  in  i  Thess. 
V.  8 ;  2  Cor.  vi.  7  ;  Eph.  vi.  13-17. 

13.  walk.    Paul  describes  conduct  as  a  walk  thirty-three  times, 
revelling'  has  drunkenness  as  its  necessary  consequence 

(Gal.  V.  21  ;  I  Pet.  iv.  3),  and  is  followed  by  other  sins  of  lust  and 
temper. 

chamtoeringf :  'unlawful  intercourse.' 

wantonness  (a  plural  word)  :  wanton  acts,  the  various  forms 
of  sensual  desire. 

strife  and  jealousy.  These  faults  of  temper  which  many 
Christians  would  regard  with  some  measure  of  indulgence  Paul 
reckons  along  with  the  grosser  vices. 

14.  put  ye  on.  The  metaphor  of  the  armour  is  repeated,  but 
Christ  himself  is  now  represented  as  the  Christian's  panoply. 
Christ  is  put  on  at  baptism  (vi.  3,  Gal.  iii.  27),  but  the  principle 
which  is  then  accepted  has  to  be  continuously  and  gradually 
realized  in  practical  applications  throughout  the  whole  Christian 
experience  (Eph.  iv.  24  ;  Col.  iii.  12). 

to  fulfil  the  lusts  thereof:  lit.  'unto  lusts/  evil  desires.  The 
clause  means  this.  Do  not  exercise  your  foresight  in  the  interests 
of  animal  appetite  so  that  sensual  desires  may  be  gratified. 
Augustine  in  his  '  Confessions '  states  that  the  reading  of  this 
passage  marked  the  turning-point  of  his  life. 

Paul's  Belief  in  the  Nearness  of  the  Second  Coming  (ii-  14). 

Paul,  in  common  with  all  Christians  of  the  Apostolic  Age,  believed 
in  the  nearness  of  Christ's  Second  Coming.  In  i  Thessalonians 
he  definitely  expresses  his  expectation  to  survive  to  that  event  (iv. 
17)  ;  and  although  in  2  Thessalonians  he  corrects  a  mistake 
made  in  regard  to  the  meaning  of  the  first  epistle,  and  anticipates 
some  delay,  yet  this  hope  remains  (ii.  i).  For  him  the  time  is 
shortened  (i  Cor.  vii.  29  31),  and  so  he  affirms  that  'we  shall  not 
all  sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be  changed '  (xv.  51).     Even  in  Philip- 


TO  THE  ROMANS   14.  i  275 

But  him  that  is  weak  in  faith  receive  ye,  yet  not  to  14 

pians  he  writes,  *  The  Lord  is  at  hand '  (iv.  5).  But  on  the  other 
hand  he  sometimes  seems  to  look  for  death  before  the  Second 
Coming.  He  knows  that  if  the  earthly  house  of  his  tabernacle  is 
dissolved,  he  has  a  building  from  God  (2  Cor.  v.  i-io).  He  desires 
to  depart  and  be  with  Christ  (Phil.  i.  23).  His  view  of  the 
progress  of  God's  purpose,  the  gathering  in  of  the  fullness  of  the 
Gentiles,  to  be  followed  by  the  conversion  of  all  Israel,  as  ex- 
pressed in  chap,  xi,  assumes  some  lapse  of  time.  The  truth 
seems  to  be  that  Paul  had  no  positive  revelation  on  this  subject, 
but  that  his  hope  wavered  with  changing  moods  and  varying 
circumstances.  In  our  Lord's  own  teaching  there  is  no  definite 
indication  of  the  time  or  the  manner  of  his  Second  Coming.  His 
language  is  entirely  figurative  ;  and  when  asked  to  give  definite 
information,  he  not  only  declined  (Acts  i.  7),  but  even  confessed 
his  own  ignorance  (Mark  xiii,  32  ;  Matt,  xxiv,  36).  At  the  end 
of  the  Apostolic  Age  the  fact  was  being  recognized  that  Christ's 
sayings  may  have  been  misunderstood.  This  belief  in  the  nearness 
of  the  Second  Advent  was,  however,  of  practical  value  in  two 
respects,  (i)  It  gave  the  early  church  its  intense  and  strenuous 
temper.  (2)  It  prevented  all  ambitious  schemes  of  organization  or 
regulation  of  Christian  hfe  for  the  future.  With  so  vigorous 
a  vitality  at  its  birth,  the  church  was  left  free  to  grow  by  the 
inner  laws  of  its  own  spirit,  controlled  and  directed  by  its  neces- 
sities and  circumstances. 

ZZ.    Special  Applications  to  the  Chnrcli  in  Rome. 

xiv.  I — XV.  13. 
After  dealing  with  the  general  principles  of  Christian  duty, 
Paul  turns  to  deal  with  a  problem  of  conduct  which  the  special 
circumstances  of  the  church  in  Rome  had  raised.  There  were 
members  of  that  church  desirous  of  exercising  to  the  full  their 
Christian  liberty  in  matters  of  indifference,  such  as  the  eating  of 
flesh  or  the  drinking  of  wine.  There  were  others  who  had 
scruples  on  these  subjects.  While  Paul  does  not  approve  these 
scruples,  but  condemns  them  by  describing  those  who  cherish 
them  as  weak,  yet  he  does  not  demand  the  abandonment  of  them. 
Instead  of  this  he  appeals  to  the  strong  to  limit  their  freedom 
so  as  to  respect  these  scruples.  The  great  end  should  be  the 
peace  and  the  unity  of  the  church.  His  argument  and  appeal 
falls  into  three  parts,  (i)  First  of  all  he  asserts  individual  moral 
responsibility  (xiv.  1-12).  (2)  Next  he  urges  mutual  tolerance 
and  support  (13-23).  (3)  Lastly  he  appeals  to  the  example  of 
Christ  and  the  purpose  of  God,  as  a  reason  for  the  unity  of  the 
church,  as  between  strong  and  weak  (xv.  1-7),  and  Jew  and 
Gentile  (8-13). 

T   2 


276  TO  THE  ROMANS   14.  2,  3 

2  doubtful  disputations.      One  man  hath  faith  to  eat  all 

3  things :  but  he  that  is  weak  eateth  herbs.  Let  not  him 
that  eateth  set  at  nought  him  that  eateth  not;  and  let 
not  him  that  eateth  not  judge  him  that  eateth :  for  God 

(i)  Individual  moral  responsibility. 

(a)  The  morally  scrupulous  should  be  cordially  received  in  the 
fellowship  of  the  church  by  the  morally  vigorous,  but  not  drawn 
into  controversy  (verse  i).  (b)  While  one  has  scruples  about  eating 
meat  which  another  does  not  share,  while  one  attaches  a  sanctity 
to  a  day  which  another  does  not,  yet  the  one  should  not  condemn 
the  other,  whether  it  be  for  scrupulosity  or  for  laxity,  if  both  are 
acting  conscientiously  (2-6).  (c)  But  both  should  rather  realize 
their  own  personal  dependence  on  and  obligation  to  Christ,  and 
their  individual  responsibility  to  God  (7-12). 

1.  weak  in  faith.  One  is  weak  in  faith  who  does  not  realize 
that  faith  in  Christ  alone  is  sufficient  to  save,  and  therefore 
supposes  that  there  are  some  indulgences  that  may  endanger, 
while  there  are  some  abstinencies  which  may  ensure,  salvation. 
In  I  Cor.  viii.  a  similar  problem,  the  use  of  food  offered  in 
sacrifice  to  idols,  is  dealt  with,  and  the  same  principles  are  laid 
down. 

receive  ye:  into  full  communion  in  the  church  as  brethren. 
The  word  is  used  of  God's  acceptance  of  and  assistance  to  man 
(Ps.  xxvii.  10,  '  The  Lord  will  take  me  up ')  ;  and  also  of  man's 
communion  with  man.  Both  uses  are  combined  in  xv.  7,  '  Where- 
fore receive  ye  one  another,  even  as  Christ  also  received  you 
to  the  glory  of  God.' 

to  doubtful  disputations:  or,  'for  decision  of  doubts.'  A 
rendering  more  probable  than  either  of  these  is  this,  '  not  to  pass 
judgement  on  their  thoughts.'  The  possible  meanings  would  be  : 
(i)  Their  scruples  are  not  to  be  discussed.  (2)  No  attempt  is  to 
be  made  to  settle  the  question.  (3)  They  are  not  to  be  made  to 
feel  that  the  community  tolerates  them,  but  condemns  their 
scruples.     Probably  the  third  interpretation  is  to  be  preferred. 

2.  Paul  describes  the  two  classes  into  which  the  church  at 
Rome  was  divided.  One  man  had  a  vigorous  faith,  that  is,  so  full 
and  clear  an  understanding  of  the  free  spirit  of  Christianity  as  to 
recognize  how  indifferent  all  such  matters  are.  The  other  has  yet 
so  feeble  a  hold  of  the  Christian  spirit  that  he  is  doubtful  whether 
it  can  be  right  to  eat  meat,  and  thinks  his  only  safety  is  in  eating 
vegetables  only.  It  is  uncertain  whether  Paul  is  here  referring 
to  an  actual  party  in  the  church,  or  is  simply  selecting  this  as 
a  sample  of  the  scruples  that  are  to  be  dealt  with  gently  by  the 
strong. 

3.  set  at  uou£rlit :  look  down  on,  or  despise. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   14.  4,  5  277 

hath   received   him.     Who  art  thou   that  judgest   the  4 
servant  of  another  ?  to  his  own  lord  he  standeth  or  falleth. 
Yea,  he  shall  be  made  to  stand ;  for  the  Lord  hath  power 
to  make  him  stand.     One  man  esteemeth  one  day  above  5 
another :  another  esteemeth  every  day  alike.     Let  each 

judgfe  him :  censure  his  freedom.  The  language  of  verse  i, 
'receive  ye,'  as  compared  with  the  words  in  verse  3,  God  hath 
received  him,  would  suggest  that  there  was  a  question  in  the 
church  as  to  whether  the  scrupulous  should  be  admitted  to 
fellowship.  Paul  counsels  their  admission,  but  warns  them,  when 
once  admitted,  not  to  begin  questioning  the  right  of  the  strong  to 
be  in  the  church.  If  God  has  not  imposed  any  test,  the  person 
with  scruples  must  not. 

4.  Who  art  thou  .  .  .  ?  The  weak  and  scrupulous  are  prone  to 
be  censorious,  and  Paul  rebukes  this  spirit  for  the  solemn  reason 
that  God  alone  is  Lord  and  Judge. 

servant:  Gr.  'household-servant.'  It  is  an  invasion  of  the 
sanctity  of  the  home,  this  judgement  of  those  who  are  in  God's 
household,  and  own  Him  alone  as  Master. 

standeth:  is  morally  steadfast  (i  Cor.  xvi.  13;  Phil.  i.  27), 
or  is  acquitted  in  God's  judgement,  probably  the  former. 

falleth  :  fails  morally  (xi.  11,  22),  or  is  condemned  in  judge- 
ment ;  probably,  as  in  the  previous  case,  the  former. 

made  to  stand.  God  who  grants  liberty  will  preserve  him 
who  uses  his  liberty  in  dependence  on,  and  submission  to,  Himself 
from  the  perils  which  liberty  involves,  and  which  the  scrupulous 
seeks  by  other  means  to  avoid.  The  alternative  interpretation 
here  again  is,  he  shall  be  acquitted  in  the  judgement. 

the  Lord.  The  weak  rely  on  their  abstinence,  the  strong  on 
the  Lord. 

5.  Another  illustration,  the  observance  or  non-observance  of 
days  is  given.  Paul  here  does  not  condemn  the  scruples,  but  he 
does  not  forbid  the  liberty.  What  he  insists  on  is  moral  sincerity. 
In  the  scruples  of  the  Galatians  in  respect  to  the  observance  of 
sacred  seasons  he  saw  a  danger  of  legalism  (iv.  10,  11).  He 
insists  on  the  Colossians  preserving  their  freedom  in  this  matter 
(ii.  16,  17).  Paul's  assertion  of  the  moral  indifference  of  such 
observances  cannot  be  restricted  to  Jewish  sacred  seasons,  as 
contrasted  with  Christian,  or  to  ecclesiastical  usages  with  respect 
to  Christmas  or  Easter,  while  the  Lord's  Day  is  regarded  as 
holding  a  place  by  itself.  Christ  himself  had  laid  down  the 
principle  that  '  the  sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for 
the  sabbath' ;  and  had  claimed  a  large  liberty  in  his  own  practice. 
Paul,  it  is  certain,  desired  to  impose  no  restriction  beyond  this. 


278  TO  THE  ROMANS   14.  6-9 

6  man  be  fully  assured  in  his  own  mind.  He  that  re- 
gardeth  the  day,  regardeth  it  unto  the  Lord  :  and  he  that 
eateth,  eate'th  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  giveth  God  thanks ; 
and  he  that  eateth  not,  unto  the  Lord  he  eateth  not,  and 

7  giveth  God  thanks.     For  none  of  us  liveth  to  himself, 

8  and  none  dieth  to  himself.  For  whether  we  live,  we 
live  unto  the  Lord ;  or  whether  we  die,  we  die  unto  the 
Lord :    whether  we  live  therefore,   or  die,   we  are  the 

9  Lord's.     For  to  this  end  Christ  died,  and  lived  agam, 

Puritan  Sabbatarianism  is  an  instance  of  the  'weak  faith,'  'which 
esteemeth  one  day  above  another,'  although  on  the  most  hberal 
principles  of  social  expediency,  moral  obligation,  and  religious 
advantage,  a  good  case  can  be  made  out  for  the  preservation  and 
protection  of  the  Lord's  Day  as  a  day  of  rest  and  for  worship. 

liis  own  mind:  an  internal  conviction  (see  iv,  21),  not  an 
external  command,  guides  the  Christian. 

6.  The  Received  Text  follows  late  authorities  in  inserting  after 
He  tliat  regardeth  the  day,  reg-ardeth  it  unto  the  Iiord,  its 
counterpart,  *  He  that  regardeth  not  the  day,  to  the  Lord  he  doth 
not  regard  it.'  Although  this  addition  completes  the  sentence 
rhetorically  it  is  weakly  supported  by  MSS. 

unto  the  Xiord.  The  motive  of  rendering  God  service  justifies 
observance  or  neglect  of  a  day,  indulgence  in  or  abstinence  from 
food. 

g'iveth  God  thanks.  This  consecrates  the  Christian's  meal, 
whatever  he  may  eat.  The  Lord's  Supper  was  called  the  Eucha- 
rist, or  thanksgiving.  Did  Paul  think  of  it  as  accompanying  and 
consecrating  every  meal  unto  God  ? 

7-12.  Paul  now  expands  the  thought  suggested  by  the  phrase 
'  unto  the  Lord.'  We  all  depend  on,  belong  to,  must  appear 
before  the  judgement-seat  of,  the  Lord. 

7.  Neither  our  life  nor  our  death  is  due  to  and  concerns  only 
ourselves.  Christ  (the  'Lord 'here  cannot  mean  anything  else) 
determines  alike  life  and  death,  and  as  our  life  puts  us  in  relation 
to  others,  so  our  death  severs  these  relations.  The  special  rela- 
tion to  Christ  is  brought  out  in  the  next  verse. 

8.  In  life  or  death  alike  (the  state  of  the  living,  or  the  state 
of  the  dead)  we  are  responsible  to  Christ,  because  through  all 
changes  we  are  the  possession  of  Christ,  who  has  bought  us 
with  a  price  for  his  own. 

9.  Christ's  humiliation  was  with  a  view  to  his  exaltation  (cf. 
Phil.  ii.  i-ii\ 


TO  THE  ROMANS   14.  10-13  279 

that  he  might  be  Lord  of  both  the  dead  and  the  living. 
But  thou,  why  dost  thou  judge  thy  brother?    or  thou  10 
again,  why  dost  thou  set  at  nought  thy  brother  ?  for  we 
shall  all  stand  before  the  judgement-seat  of  God.     For  u 
it  is  written, 

As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  to  me  every  knee  shall  bow, 

And  every  tongue  shall  confess  to  God. 
So  then  each  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself  to  12 
God. 

Let  us  not  therefore  judge  one  another  any  more :  but  13 

lived.  This  must  refer  to  the  Resurrection,  and  not  the 
earthly  hfe,  because  (i)  the  order  is  died  and  lived ;  (2)  the 
tense  in  Greek  expresses  a  single  act,  not  a  continuous  process ; 
(3")  the  lordship  of  Christ  is  connected  with  his  risen,  not  his 
earthly  life. 

dead  and  the  living'.  The  order  of  time  is  here  reversed  to 
agree  with  what  is  said  of  Christ. 

10.  Those  who  are  themselves  liable  to  judgement  are  not  to 
set  up  as  judges  of  one  another,  either  to  despise  scruples  or 
to  censure  laxity. 

jndgfement-seat  of  God.  It  is  the  Father,  not  the  Son, 
who  is  here  referred  to,  as  Paul  would  not  thus,  without  any 
explanation,  call  Christ  'God.'  But  so  closely  are  Father  and 
Son  related  to  one  another  in  Paul's  thought,  that  the  judgement 
through  Christ  is  the  judgement  of  God,  The  reading  '  Christ' 
for  '  God '  is  due  to  an  attempt  to  assimilate  this  verse  to  2  Cor. 
V.  10. 

11.  Paul's  proof  is  drawn  from  Isa.  xlv.  23,  freely  quoted 
according  to  the  LXX — a  passage  which  refers  to  the  universal 
scope  of  the  Messiah's  rule,  but  which  Paul  applies  to  the 
universality  of  the  final  judgement.  Paul  substitutes  for  one 
form  of  oath  another.  The  alternative  words  'swear'  and  'con- 
fess* (or  more  probably  in  accordance  with  Greek  usage,  'give 
praise ')  both  mean  '  worship ' ;  a  man  swears  by,  and  gives  praise 
to,  the  God  whom  he  worships. 

12.  The  conclusion  drawn  from  God's  universal  sovereignty 
over  man  and  man's  universal  worship  of  God  is  man's  account- 
ability to  God,  and  God  alone.  Hence  judgement  of  others  is 
usurpation  by  man  of  God's  prerogative. 

(2)  xiv.  13-23.     Mutual  tolerance  and  support. 
Having  proved  the  principle  of  individual  moral  responsibility 
to  God,  Paul  now  turns  to  the  other  side  of  the  question — the 


28o  TO  THE  ROMANS   14.  14 

judge  ye  this  rather,  that  no  man  put  a  stumblingblock 

r4  in  his  brother's  way,  or  an  occasion  of  faUing.     I  know, 

and  am  persuaded  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  nothing  is 

unclean  of  itself:    save   that   to   him   who   accounteth 


manward — and  lays  down  the  complementary  principle  of  mutual 
tolerance  and  support.  (a)  While  no  man  is  accountable  to 
another,  yet  all  men  are  responsible  for  one  another  (13). 
(b)  While  nothing  is  in  itself  morally  forbidden,  unless  a  man's 
conscience  declares  it  to  be  so,  yet  love  for  others  forbids  any 
such  use  of  freedom  as  will  be  an  injury  to  a  fellow  Christian 
(14,  15).  (c)  Discredit  should  not  thus  be  brought  on  the 
liberty  of  the  strong,  since  the  good  to  which  Christians  are 
called  has  no  connexion  with  any  physical  indulgences,  but 
only  offers  spiritual  blessings  (16,  17).  {d)  He  that  in  the 
pursuit  of  these  blessings  is  the  servant  of  Christ,  will  not 
only  win  God's  approval,  but  will  also  so  order  his  life  as 
not  to  cause  any  discord  among  Christian  brethren,  but  as  to 
promote  the  spiritual  vigour  of  all  (18,  19).  (e)  As  it  is  wrong 
for  a  man  to  indulge  in  any  practice  about  which  his  conscience 
is  not  clear,  and  as  to  encourage  him  in  such  wrong-doing  is  to 
undo  in  him  God's  work  of  grace,  no  sacrifice  of  personal  liberty 
is  too  great  on  the  part  of  the  strong  in  faith  that  they  may 
respect  the  scruples  of  the  weak  (20-23). 

13.  Do  not  pronounce  sentence  on  others,  but  pronounce  on 
yourself  this  sentence— that  you  will  in  no  way  prove  a  moral 
hindrance  to  your  brother. 

occasion  of  falling':  AV.  '  scandal' ;  a  snare  or  trap.  Probably 
the  thought  was  suggested  to  Paul  by  Jesus'  words  (Matt.  xvi.  23, 
xviii.  6-9).     He  had  treated  the  same  subject  in  i  Cor.  viii. 

14.  Paul  re-asserts  the  principle  of  Christian  liberty  in  matters 
of  indifference,  in  order  that  the  consideration  for  the  weak,  for 
which  he  appeals  to  the  strong,  may  be  based  on  the  right  motive 
of  love  to  others,  not  the  wrong,  a  recognition  that  their  scruples 
are  right  in  themselves. 

in  the  Iiord  Jesus.  Probably  Paul  means  that  as  a  Pharisee, 
apart  from  Christ,  he  did,  and  could  not  rise  to  this  liberal  position  ; 
but  faith  in  Christ  released  him  from  all  his  Pharisaic  scruples. 
The  spiritual  life  in  communion  with  Christ,  which  now  was  his, 
raised  him  far  above  the  legal  sphere,  in  which  any  such  questions 
had  any  importance.  It  is  less  likely  that  he  meant,  by  using 
this  phrase,  to  base  his  argument  on  our  Lord's  saying  (Matt. 
XV.  II  ;  Mark  vii.  15).  In  such  cases  his  formula  is,  '  I  received 
from  the  Lord.' 

unclean.     Paul  does  not  mean  to  sweep  away  all  moral  dis- 


TO  THE  ROMANS  14.  15-17  281 

anything  to  be  unclean,  to  him  it  is  unclean.     For  if  15 
because  of  meat  thy  brother  is  grieved,  thou  walkest  no 
longer  in  love.     Destroy  not  with  thy  meat  him  for  whom 
Christ  died.     Let  not  then  your  good  be  evil  spoken  of:  16 
for  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  eating  and  drinking,  but  17 

tinctions  except  in  so  far  as  the  individual  conscience  recognizes 
them.  He  is  dealing  with  a  definite  question,  and  all  his  general 
statements  are  within  the  scope  of  the  question.  For  the  Jew, 
what  was  common  was  unclean  ;  what  the  Gentile  practised  to 
him  was  forbidden.  Only  of  such  practices  as  are  concerned 
with  times  and  seasons,  foods  and  drinks,  fastings  and  washings, 
does  this  principle  hold  good.  There  is  a  right  or  wrong  in  the 
moral  sphere  which  is  independent  of  individual  convictions.  It 
is  necessary  to  emphasize  this,  as  this  saying  of  Paul's  has  been 
abused  to  justify  indecent  art,  literature,  and  amusement. 

15.  Paul  leaves  out  the  thought  that  leads  from  the  previous 
position  to  that  which  he  is  now  going  to  establish.  It  is  this  : 
While  you  do  not  share  your  weak  brother's  scruples,  yet  shew 
consideration  for  him  ;  for  if  you  do  not,  and  wound  and  injure 
his  conscience,  you  are  regardless  of  his  claims  on  your  love. 
If  Christ  endured  so  great  a  sacrifice  to  save  him,  will  you,  by 
leading  him  to  do  what  his  conscience  condemns,  again  imperil  his 
salvation,  even  although  no  great  sacrifice  such  as  Christ's  is 
required  of  you,  but  simply  an  abstinence  from  food?  The  greater 
love  of  Christ  to  each  man  is  appealed  to  as  a  motive  of  the  lesser 
love,  which  the  strong  brother  is  urged  to  display  ;  and  again  the 
worth  of  the  soul,  as  measured  by  Christ's  sacrifice,  is  a  cogent 
reason  for  avoiding  anything  that  would  involve  its  loss;  (cf. 
I  Cor.  viii.  ii.) 

16.  Let  not  the  good  of  your  Christian  liberty  be  so  used  as  to 
become  ground  of  complaint  on  the  part  of  your  brethren  (literally 
be  blasphemed).  Don't  give  others  any  cause  to  reproach  you 
with  having  led  some  of  the  brethren  into  what  to  them  were 
doubtful  courses  to  the  injury  of  their  souls.  It  is  the  good  name 
of  the  strong  brethren  within  the  church  that  is  probably  here 
referred  to,  and  not  the  reputation  of  the  Christian  community  as 
a  whole  in  respect  to  outsiders,  even  although  Paul  desires  that 
respect  be  shewn  even  for  their  prejudices,  sentiments,  and 
standards  (see  note  on  xii.  17). 

1^.  If  you  attach  such  importance  to  your  freedom  to  eat  and 
drink  that  j'ou  are  willing  to  injure  your  reputation  among  your 
Christian  brethren,  you  shew  very  little  understanding  of  the  good 
to  which  in  Christ  you  are  called.  These  physical  indulgences 
have  no  place  in  it,  but  all  the  blessings  are  spiritual.      One  of 


282  TO  THE  ROMANS   14.  18,19 

18  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.     For 
he  that  herein  serveth  Christ  is  well-pleasing  to  God,  and 

19  approved  of  men.     So  then  let  us  follow  after  things 
which  make  for  peace,  and  things  whereby  we  may  edify 

these  blessings  is  peace,  yet  you  are  prepared  to  sacrifice  that  in 
the  church  for  the  sake  of  food  and  drink.  Another  is  righteous- 
ness, and  you  are  willing  to  encourage  another  in  what  to  him  is 
wrong- doing.  A  third  is  joy  in  the  now  common  life  lived  in  the 
power  of  the  Spirit,  yet  you  are  prepared  to  imperil  the  continuance 
of  that  life  in  your  weaker  brother.  This  is  the  argument  implied 
in  Paul's  pregnant  phrases.     (Cf.  i  Cor.  viii.  8.) 

the  king'dom  of  God.  This  is  a  conception  common  in  our 
Lord's  teaching,  but  rare  in  Paul's.  It  is  used  as  an  eschatological 
conception,  the  state  of  glory  (i  Cor.  vi.  9,  xv.  50).  But  here 
and  in  i  Cor.  iv.  20  ('the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  in  word,  but  in 
power')  it  seems  to  be  regarded  as  a  present  reality,  the  state 
of  grace,  the  organism,  so  to  speak,  of  the  potencies  and  principles, 
which  in  the  future  life  will  find  their  realization  and  manifestation, 
but  which  are  already  in  some  measure  operative  and  evident. 
(Compare  also  Gal,  v.  21  ;  Eph.  v.  5 ;  Col.  iv.  ir  ;  i  Thess.  ii.  12 ; 
2  Thess.  i.  5;  2  Tim.  iv.  18.) 

eating'  and  drinking*.  The  Jewish  popular  expectations  were 
very  materialistic.  The  kingdom  of  God  even  was  a  sensuous 
good.  If  the  strong  laid  such  stress  on  their  right  to  eat  and 
drink  whatever  they  pleased  now,  they  might  reasonably  be 
charged  with  assenting  to  this  notion  of  the  future  life.  Thus  their 
spirituality  might  incur  the  reproach  of  materialism. 

righteousness:  not  justification,  but  right  moral  relations. 

peace  :  the  harmony  of  the  church  in  unity  of  mind. 

joy  in  the  Holy  Ohost:  not  as  an  individual  possession 
merely,  but  as  a  social  bond.  This  is  the  preferable  way  of 
taking  these  terms,  although  one  might  take  them  as  equivalent  to 
justification,  reconciliation,  sanctification,  which  the  strong  brother 
may  lead  the  weak  to  forfeit  altogether. 

18.  herein :  by  acting  righteously,  by  maintaining  harmony,  by 
sustaining  the  spiritual  life  of  the  church,  by,  in  short,  living  the 
life  of  love,  the  supreme  Christian  principle. 

serveth.  The  Christian  freed  from  law  is  Christ's  bond- 
servant. 

approved  of  men.  He  is  tested,  and  stands  the  test ;  his 
good  is  not  evil  spoken  of  (see  verse  16). 

19.  edify.  Paul  is  fond  of  the  figure  of  a  building  (cf. 
I  Cor.  iii.  9,  10-16,  xiv.  26;  2  Cor.  vi.  16;  Eph.  ii.  21  ;  i  Thess. 
v.  11). 


TO  THE  ROMANS  14.  20-23  283 

one  another.     Overthrow  not  for  meat's  saks  the  work  20 
of  God.     All  things  indeed  are  clean ;  howbeit  it  is  evil 
for  that  man  who  eateth  with  offence.     It  is  good  not  to  21 
eat  flesh,  nor  to  drink  wine,  nor  to  do  anything  whereby 
thy  brother  stumbleth.     The  faith  which  thou  hast,  have  22 
thou  to  thyself  before  God.     Happy  is  he  that  judgeth 
not  himself  in  that  which  he  approveth.     But  he  that  23 

20.  Overthrow.  This  keeps  up  the  metaphor  of  the  word 
'  edify ' ;  build  up,  and  don't  pull  down,  the  church  as  the  work 
of  God. 

All  thing's  indeed  are  clean,  &c.  Cf.  i  Cor.  x.  23.  The 
abstract  moral  point  of  view  is  not  sufficient ;  practice  has  to  be 
determined  by  consideration  of  all  the  circumstances. 

that  man.  The  reference  is  to  either  (i)  the  strong,  who  by 
his  eating  causes  his  weak  brother  to  offend,  or  is  an  offence  to 
his  weak  brother  ;  or  (2)  the  weak,  who  offends  by  eating  what  his 
conscience  forbids.  As  Paul  is  here  dealing  with  the  strong,  not 
the  weak  brother,  the  former  reference  is  probably  better,  although 
the  latter  is  not  inadmissible,  as  the  clause  may  be  intended  to 
warn  the  strong  brother  that  he  may  lead  the  weak  brother  into 
sin  by  inducing  him  to  do  wrongly  what  he  himself  might  do 
rightly,  apart  from  consideration  of  others. 

21.  There  is  positive  excellence  in  making  a  surrender  of 
liberty  to  avoid  offending  the  scruples  of  another,  or  leading 
him  to  suppress  these  scruples.  (For  the  phrase  '  it  is  good  ' 
cf.  T  Cor.  vii.  i,  and  for  an  exact  parallel  to  the  thought  see 
I  Cor.  viii.  13.)  As  there  was  no  party  in  Corinth  objecting  to 
tlie  use  of  meat  altogether,  and  yet  Paul  expresses  himself  in  an 
unqualified  way,  we  are  not  compelled  by  his  words  here  to 
conclude  that  there  was  in  Rome  '  a  sect  of  vegetarians  and  total 
abstainers.' 

stumbleth.  After  this  word  one  group  of  MSS.  reads  as 
a  gloss,  *  or  is  offended,  or  is  weak';  but  the  best  evidence  is 
against  the  addition. 

22.  The  faith:  that  is,  the  faith  to  eat  all  things  (as  explained 
in  verse  2).  This  conviction  of  liberty  is  not  to  be  paraded  before 
others  to  vex  them,  or  forced  on  others  to  lead  them  astray,  but 
is  to  be  maintained  conscientiously  as  accountable  to  God  alone. 

Happy.  The  strong  man  may  congratulate  himself,  if  he 
escapes  all  condemnation  in  his  assertion  of  his  Christian  liberty, 
if  he  can  so  maintain  his  conviction  as  not  to  injure  another  in  any 
way. 

approveth :  after  proving,  or, '  putting  to  the  test '  (R.  V.  marg.) 


284  TO  THE  ROMANS  15.  i 

doubteth  is  condemned  if  he  eat,  because  he  eateth  not  of 
faith  ;  and  whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin. 
15      Now  we  that  are  strong  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities 

23.  doubtetli.  The  weak  brother,  having  failed  to  get  his 
scruples  legitimately  removed,  may  suppress  them  to  win  the 
strong  brother's  favour,  or  to  escape  his  scorn,  then  he  is  guilty 
of  doing  what  he  does  not  himself  believe  to  be  right. 

not  of  faith.  If  he  had  realized  the  sole  sufficiency  of  faith 
for  salvation  he  would  have  had  no  doubts,  but  his  having  doubts 
shews  his  weakness  of  faith. 

whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin.  This  statement  has  been 
used  to  justify  the  false  and  wrong  position,  that  all  actions, 
however  good  in  themselves  they  may  be,  are  sinful  if  done 
before  conversion.  The  virtues  of  pagans  have  accordingly  been 
pronounced  splendid  sins.  The  unregenerate  man  is  declared  to  be 
incapable  of  any  good.  This  maxim,  however,  has  no  application 
to  unbelievers,  and  can  be  understood  only  in  the  context  in  which 
it  stands.  It  has  been  well  paraphrased,  '  All  that  is  against  con- 
science is  sin'  (Aquinas).  The  meaning  is  this  :  If  a  man  acts  not 
from  personal  conviction  that  what  he  does  is  right,  but  from  weak 
compliance  with  the  judgement  of  others,  then  his  action  is  sinful. 

The  insertion  of  the  doxology  (xvi.  25-27)  at  the  end  of  this 
chapter  will  be  dealt  with  in  the  note  on  the  integrity  of  the 
Epistle  and  the  authenticity  of  chapters  xv,  and  xvi. 

(3)  XV.  I -13.      The  unity  of  the  church — Christ's  example  and      1 
God's  purpose. 

There  is  no  break  in  the  argument  at  this  point,  but  the  same 
question  is  continued  as  in  the  previous  chapter.  The  example 
of  Christ  is,  however,  for  the  first  time  in  the  Epistle,  appealed 
to,  the  value  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  is  asserted,  and  in  verses 
8-13  the  plea  for  unity  in  the  individual  church  is  enforced  by 
exhibiting  the  purpose  of  God  in  Christ,  which  unites  those  who 
before  had  been  so  far  apart  as  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles.  A 
special  argument  even  seems  to  be  implied  in  verse  8.  Christ  in 
his  ministry  had  respect  to  the  scruples  of  his  Jewish  countrymen. 
He  lived  as  a  Jew  among  Jews,  so  as  not  to  excite  their  prejudices, 
and  make  them  unwilling  to  receive  his  gospel,  the  fulfilment  of 
God's  promises  to  their  fathers,  (a)  Spiritual  vigour  should  be 
displayed  not  in  self-indulgence,  but  in  assistance  to  those  who 
are  infirm  in  order  to  secure  the  prosperity  of  the  church  in  the 
welfare  of  all  its  members  (i,  2).  {b)  Of  this  spirit  of  abnegation 
Christ  himself  has  given  us  an  example,  and  the  Holy  Scriptures 
abound  in  encouragements  to  perseverance  in  right-doing  through 
the  hope  of  salvation  which  they  sustain  (3,  4).     (c)  The  Apostle's 


TO  THE  ROMANS  15,  2,3  285 

of  the  weak,  and  not  to  please  ourselves.     Let  each  one  of  2 
us  please  his  neighbour  for  that  which  is  good,  unto 
edifying.    For  Christ  also  pleased  not  himself;  but,  as  it  is  3 
written,  The  reproaches  of  them  that  reproached  thee  fell 

prayer  is  that  the  believers  may  be  inspired  by  God  with  such 
unanimity  of  mind,  that  they  may  not  only  unite  in  His  praise,  but 
may  also  shew  such  consideration  for  one  another  as  Christ  shewed 
them  (5-7).  {d)  In  His  purpose  of  salvation  God  has  been  regardful 
of  the  difference  between  Jew  and  Gentile,  that  both  might  at  last 
unite  in  His  praise  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  hope  held  out  to  all 
nations,  the  hope  which,  the  Apostle  prays,  may  through  faith 
abound  in  all  the  believers  in  Rome  through  the  power  of  the 
spirit  of  God  (8-13). 

1.  strong-:  rather,  *  able,' '  powerful,' with  superfluous  strength, 
themselves  standing,  and  helping  others  to  stand  (2  Cor.  xii.  10, 
xiii.  9). 

bear.  Cf.  Gal.  vi.  2.  The  same  word  is  used  of  bearing  the 
cross  literally  (John  xix.  i7\  or  figuratively  (Luke  xiv.  27).  The 
meaning  is  this  :  The  scruples  of  the  weak  believers,  if  offended  by 
the  strong  ones,  would  prove  a  grievous  burden  to  them  ;  but  if 
the  strong  shew  consideration  for  them,  although  they  may  impose 
a  burden  of  self-limitation  on  themselves,  yet  this  will  relieve  the 
strain  on  the  others. 

2.  please  his  neigrhbour.  This  was  Paul's  own  practice,  as 
I  Cor.  X.  33  witnesses. 

that  which  is  good,  unto  editying.  This  sets  the  necessary 
limits  to  Christian  consideration  of  others,  distinguishing  it  from 
a  weak  complaisance  with  the  opinions  of  others,  which  on  the 
one  hand  enfeebles  the  strength  of  personal  conviction,  and  on 
the  other  encourages  the  opinionativeness  and  arrogance  of  others. 
Such  complaisance  Paul  condemns  (Eph.  vi.  6;  i  Thess.  ii.  4  ; 
Gal.  i.  10).  The  good  must  not  be  simply  what  those  to  whom 
this  consideration  is  shewn  may  think  good,  but  what  he  who  so 
pleases  them  believes  to  be  their  true  good,  their  upbuilding  in 
Christian  faith  and  character. 

3.  Paul  has  in  his  argument  appealed  to  Christ's  judgement 
(xiv.  9),  and  his  spirit,  or  it  may  be  even  his  precept  (14),  and 
now  he  sets  before  his  readers  his  example.  Probably  he  does  not 
here  refer  to  Christ's  life  generally,  but  especially  to  his  surrender 
in  Gethsemane,  'not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done,'  a  surrender 
which,  while  it  was  Christ's  meat  and  drink  to  do  the  Father's 
will,  was  a  denial  of  self,  for  while  his  spirit  was  willing,  his 
flesh  was  weak. 

hut.  as  it  is  written.     Instead  of  a  statement  of  fact  as  to 


286  TO  THE  ROMANS   15.  4,  5 

4  upon  me.  For  whatsoever  things  were  written  aforetime 
were  written  for  our  learning,  that  through  patience  and 
through  comfort  of  the  scriptures  we  might  have  hope. 

5  Now  the  God  of  patience  and  of  comfort  grant  you  to  be 
of  the  same  mind  one  with  another  according  to  Christ 


what  Christ  did  to  please  others,  we  have  here  a  change  of  con- 
struction, and  a  quotation  of  the  words  in  which  the  typically 
righteous  sufferer  utters  his  plaint  in  Ps.  Ixix.  9.  This  psalm  is 
several  times  applied  to  Christ  in  the  N.T.  (Verse  4  in  John  xv. 
25  ;  verse  9  in  John  ii.  17  ;  verse  21  in  Matt,  xxvii.  34  ;  John  xix. 
29.")  Verse  22  is  quoted  by  Paul  (Rom.  xi.  9)  in  illustration  of 
the  hardening  of  Israel  ;  and  verse  25  is  applied  by  Peter  to  the 
case  of  Judas  (Acts  i.  20).  In  the  words  here  quoted  the 
righteous  sufferer  addresses  God  ;  the  enmity  of  man  to  God  is 
turned  against  himself.  As  Paul  uses  the  words,  however,  Christ 
is  represented  as  addressing  man.  What  man  ought  to  have 
suffered  that  Christ  suffers. 

4.  Paul  justifies  his  quotation  by  asserting  the  permanent  value 
of  all  written  in  the  Scriptures.  A  similar  statement  is  found 
in  2  Tim.  iii.  16.  Paul  claims  for  the  O.  T.  (i)  its  witness  to 
Christ,  (2)  its  practical  value  for  faith  and  life. 

aforetime :  in  contrast  with  what  is  being  written  now. 

for  our  learning:  for  our  instruction,  'to  teach  us.' 

patience  .  .  .  comfort :  the  endurance  and  consolation  which 
the  Scriptures  communicate. 

hope :  the  distinctively  Christian  hope  of  a  complete  salvation 
in  Christ.  The  endurance  which  the  Christian  is  enabled  to  dis- 
play, and  the  consolation  which  is  experienced  by  him  in  affliction, 
confirm  this  hope.  He  has  present  proof  of  God's  fidelity,  and 
so  possesses  a  pledge  for  the  future.  The  same  connexion 
between  patience  and  hope  is  asserted  in  v.  4.  The  believer 
knows  that  disappointment  does  not  await  him. 

5.  Counsel  about  duty  is  vain  without  God's  grace,  so  Paul  now 
in  a  brief  prayer  seeks  that  grace.  What  he  asks  for  is  the  spirit 
of  unity.  If  that  is  given  there  will  be  mutual  forbearance  and 
helpfulness. 

God  of  patience  and  of  comfort :  the  God  who  gives  patience 
and  comfort ;  so  God  of  peace  (verse  33  ;  Phil.  iv.  9  ;  i  Thess.  v. 
23 ;  Heb.  xiii.  20),  of  hope  (verse  13),  of  all  comfort  (a  Cor.  i.  3), 
of  all  grace  (i  Pet.  v.  10). 

the  same  mind.     See  note  on  xii.  16. 

accordingf  to  Christ  Jesus:  in  accordance  with  the  char- 
acter or  example  of  Christ  Jesus  (2  Cor.  xi.  17  ;  Col.  ii.  8). 


TO  THE  ROMANS  15.  6-8  287 

Jesus :  that  with  one  accord  ye  may  with  one  mouth  glorify  6 
the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.    Wherefore  7 
receive  ye  one  another,  even  as  Christ  also  received  you, 
to  the  glory  of  God.     For  I  say  that  Christ  hath  been  8 
made  a  minister  of  the  circumcision  for  the  truth  of  God, 

6.  Praise  to  God  is  the  necessary  result  of  unity  in  the  church, 
with  one  accord :  characteristic  of  the  early  church  (Acts  i. 

14,  ii.  46,  iv.  24,  V.  12,  XV.  25). 

the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  is 
probably  the  correct  rendering.  The  Father  is  God  to  the  Son 
(Matt,  xxvii.  46;  John  xx.  17  ;  Eph.  i.  17  ;  Heb.  i.  9).  Reverence 
for  Christ  need  not  lead  us  to  try  and  escape  what  these  other 
passages  so  clearly  teach  by  the  rendering  '  God,  even  the  Father 
of  cur  Lord  Jesus  Christ,' 

7.  This  is  the  summing  up  of  the  previous  argument  before 
Paul  passes  to  a  wider  question,  the  mutual  tolerance  of  Jews  and 
Gentiles  in  the  church.  This  appeal  is  addressed  to  strong  and 
weak  ahke,  as  Christ  is  Saviour  of  both,  receives  both  to  his 
grace. 

to  the  glory  of  God.  In  receiving  the  Jews  Christ  displayed 
God's  faithfulness  (verse  8),  the  Gentiles  His  mercy  (verse  9),  and 
the  display  of  God's  character  redounds  to  His  honour  and  praise. 

8.  Possibly  the  strong  were  mainly  Gentiles,  and  the  weak 
mainly  Jews  ;  and  so  this  difficulty  was  part  of  the  larger  problem 
of  the  mutual  intercourse  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  the  Christian 
Church,  a  problem  of  extren.e  difficulty  owing  to  the  differences 
that  had  previously  divided  the  one  from  the  other.  But  even  if 
this  were  not  the  case,  the  principle  to  be  applied  in  the  solution 
of  the  larger  problem  was  the  same  as  that  to  be  recognized  in 
dealing  with  the  lesser  difficulty. 

a  minister  of  the  circumcision :  not  simply  a  minister  of 
the  circumcised,  that  is,  preaching  to  the  Jews  ;  nor  yet  a  minister 
of  the  true  circumcision,  that  is,  bringing  salvation  to  all  Jews  and 
Gentiles  aUke,  who  are  circumcised  in  heart ;  but  a  minister  of  the 
covenant  of  grace,  of  which  circumcision  was  sign  and  seal.  He 
was  *  the  minister  of  the  new  covenant '  (2  Cor.  iii.  6)  also  ;  but, 
as  the  new  was  the  fulfilment  of  the  old,  he  attached  himself  to 
the  old  by  being  himself  circumcised,  and  by  observing  the  law  as 
far  as  possible  (cf.  Gal.  iv.  4,  5).  He  limited  himself  to  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel ;  he  avoided,  as  far  as  he  could,  any 
work  among  Samaritans  and  Gentiles ;  he  considered  Jewish 
prejudices,  and  allowed  Jewish  exclusivencss  to  impose  restric- 
tions on  him,  in  order  that  he  might  so  present  himself  to  his 
countrymen  as  their  Messiah,  that  they  might  find  in  him  God's 


288  TO  THE  ROMANS    15.  9-ir 

that  he  might  confirm  the  promises  given  unto  the  fathers, 
9  and  that  the  Gentiles  might  glorify  God  for  his  mercy ; 
as  it  is  written, 

Therefore  will  I  give  praise  unto  thee  among  the 

Gentiles, 
And  sing  unto  thy  name. 

10  And  again  he  saith, 

Rejoice,  ye  Gentiles,  with  his  people. 

11  And  again, 

Praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  Gentiles ; 
And  let  all  the  peoples  praise  him. 

promises  to  the  fathers  fulfilled,  and  thus  God's  fidelity  to  His 
word  might  be  proved.     The  subsequent  mission  to  the  Gentiles 
was  a  secondary  result,  not  a  primary  purpose ;  it  illustrated  God's 
mercy,  as  Jesus'  ministry  among  the  Jews  God's  truth. 
tlie  promises  given  nnto  the  fathers :  see  ix.  4,  5. 

9.  and  that  the  Gentiles,  &c.  The  Greek  allows  the  depen- 
dence of  this  clause  on  'for  I  say';  but  the  more  probable 
construction  is  that  adopted  in  the  text,  where  this  clause  is  made 
to  depend  on  the  clause  '  Christ  hath  been  made  a  minister  of  the 
circumcision,'  and  is  regarded  as  co-ordinate  with  the  clause  'that 
he  might  confirm  the  promises  given  unto  the  fathers.'  The 
Gentile  mission  as  well  as  the  Jewish  ministry  was  a  fulfilment  of 
the  covenant  with  Abraham  ;  the  promise  was  given  apart  from 
the  law  and  before  circumcision,  and  so  the  Gentiles  as  well  as 
the  Jews  are  children  (chap.  iv.). 

as  it  is  written.  This  point,  a  sore  point  for  many  Jewish 
believers,  Paul  is  careful  to  prove  by  several  citations  from  the  O.T., 
an  authority  they  could  not  question. 

Therefore  will  I  give  praise:  or,  'confess,'  &c. :  quoted 
from  Ps.  xviii,  49,  LXX.  The  psalmist  is  celebrating  a  victory 
over  the  nations.  Paul  represents  Christ  as  praising  God  among 
the  Gentiles,  that  is,  along  with  them. 

10.  Rejoice,  ye  Gentiles,  &c.  Cf,  Deut.  xxxii.  43.  The  Hebrew 
seems  to  mean,  literally  translated,  '  Rejoice,  O  ye  nations,  his 
people'  (R.  V.  marg.),  and  the  R.V.  offers  the  alternative  ren- 
derings, 'Rejoice,  O  ye  nations,  with  his  people'  (text),  and 
'Praise  his  people,  ye  nations'  (marg,).  Moses  is  represented 
as  summoning  the  nations  to  rejoice  in  Israel's  deliverance.  Paul 
interprets  the  words  as  a  call  to  the  Gentiles  *o  unite  with  the 
Jews  in  joy  over  a  common  salvation. 

11.  Quoted  from  Ps.  cxvii.  i,  LXX. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   15.  12,  13  289 

And  again,  Isaiah  saith, 

There  shall  be  the  root  of  Jesse, 

And  he  that  ariseth  to  rule  over  the  Gentiles ; 

On  him  shall  the  Gentiles  hope. 

Now  the  God  of  hope  fill  you  with  all  joy  and  peace  in 

believing,  that  ye  may  abound  in  hope,  in  the  power  of 

the  Holy  Ghost. 

12.  Quoted  from  LXX  of  Isa.  xi.  lo,  wliich  is  a  paraphrase 
of  the  Hebrew.  As  a  description  of  the  Messianic  kingdom  the 
passage  is  here  appropriately  applied  to  Christ's  reign. 

13.  Here  Paul  closes  the  treatise  ;  what  follows  is  an  epistolary 
conclusion  :  and  so  the  Apostle  pauses  to  invoke  a  blessing  on 
his  readers—  a  blessing,  the  terms  of  which  are  suggested  by  th^ 
preceding  passage  (verses  4-6). 

the  aod  of  hope.  The  attribute  is  suggested  by  the  last  word 
of  the  quotation. 

joy  and  peace  are  results  of  faith  in  God,  and  where  these 
are  hope  has  a  soil,  in  which  to  grow  in  vigour.  None  of  the 
Christian  graces  is  self  sustaining.  All  spring  out  of  faith,  but 
faith  itself  receives  the  grace  of  God  as  manifested  in  the  presence 
and  power  of  the  Spirit. 

The  'Weak'  and  the  'Steong'  in  Rome  (xiv.  i— xv.  13}. 

Many  answers  have  been  given  to  the  question,  Who  are  the 
weak  and  the  strong  mentioned  in  this  passage?  and  some  cf 
these  claim  consideration.  (1^  Are  they  the  same  parties  as  are 
dealt  with  in  i  Corinthians?  There  is  no  mention  in  Romans  of 
the  meat  as  offered  to  idols,  nor  is  anything  said  in  i  Corinthians 
about  total  abstinence  from  flesh  and  wine.  We  have  no  common 
features  on  which  to  base  a  conclusion.  (2)  While  the  Pythago- 
rians  and  other  pagan  sects  practised  abstinence  from  flesh  and 
wine,  there  was  no  observance  of  special  days  among  them. 
Accordingly,  we  cannot  assume  the  intrusion  of  any  members 
of  these  sects  into  the  church  at  Rome.  (3)  The  'weak'  cannot 
represent  a  developed  Judaism  dominant  in  Rome,  as  Paul  would 
then  have  been  more  explicit  in  his  condemnation.  He  does  not 
regard  the  'weak'  brethren  as  a  danger  to  the  church,  else  he 
would  not  have  pleaded  for  toleration  for  them.  We  see  how 
he  dealt  with  aggressive  Judaizers  in  Galalians.  (4)  While  the 
Essenes  were  Jew^ish  and  ascetic,  and  observed  certain  days, 
yet  there  is  no  evidence  that  there  were  any  Essenes  out  of 
Palestine  ;  and  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  this  sect  were  such 

U 


290  TO  THE  ROMANS   15.  14 

[4      And  I  myself  also  am  persuaded  of  you,  my  brethren, 

that  we  cannot  suppose  Paul  could  have  dealt  so  gently  with 
them.  (5)  Probably  we  have  before  us  in  this  passage,  not  the 
description  of  a  distinct  sect  with  definite  tenets  and  habits, 
but  rather  a  warning  against  dangers  which  Paul  had  met  with 
already  in  other  churches,  and  which  he  had  reason  to  believe 
were  also  threatening  Rome.  He  is  dealing  with  two  universal 
and  permanent  tendencies  in  the  Christian  Church — the  liberal 
and  the  scrupulous,  the  *  broad '  church  and  the  *  low.'  In  the 
modern  church  such  questions  as,  '  Should  Christians  use  in- 
toxicating liquors  and  tobacco,  go  to  the  theatre,  dance,  walk 
on  the  Lord's  Day  ? '  are  receiving  opposed  answers.  While  the 
one  party  thinks  the  other  narrow,  this  in  turn  thinks  that  lax. 
In  the  Apostolic  Age  other  questions  were  being  agitated,  and 
Paul  is  here  giving  examples  of  these,  and  we  need  not  assume 
that  there  was  anyone  section  combining  all  the  features  men- 
tioned. The  Christian  Church  of  the  present  day  inherits  a 
varied  and  abundant  moral  and  religious  tradition,  and  yet  these 
differences  emerge.  How  much  more  must  this  have  been  the 
case,  when  the  church  was  treading  a  new  and  untried  path, 
when  its  members  came  from  Jewish  exclusiveness  and  pagan 
laxity,  when  the  one  thing  in  common  was  the  recognition  of 
Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord ;  when  among  the  apostolic  leaders 
even  two  tendencies  were  represented — the  liberal  by  Paul, 
the  scrupulous  by  James.  Paul  lays  down  the  following  great 
principles  in  dealing  with  this  ever-recurrent  problem  :  (i)  Faith 
is  alone  and  absolutely  sufficient.  (2)  All  such  questions  regarded 
in  themselves  are  morally  and  religiously  indifferent.  (3)  It 
must  be  recognized,  however,  that  there  are  in  the  church  many 
for  whom  such  questions  are  not  indifferent.  (4)  Insistence  on 
personal  liberty  in  these  matters  may  inflict  injury  on  the  moral 
and  religious  life  of  another.  (5)  Consideration  for  the  scruples 
of  others  imposes  the  obligation  voluntarily  to  limit  one's  liberty. 
(6)  The  question  of  claiming  or  surrendering  one's  liberty  is 
to  be  decided  by  the  guiding  conception  of  the  peace  and  the 
progress  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

EPISTOLARY  CONCI.USION.     xv.  14— xvi.  2*7. 

This  writing  now  again  assumes  the  character  of  an  epistle. 
In  this  conclusion  Paul  (i)  describes  the  motive  of  his  Epistle 
(xv.  14-21)  ;  (2)  states  his  plans  of  travel,  and  seeks  the  prayers 
of  his  readers  for  himself  (22-33)  5  (s)  commends  the  bearer 
of  the  letter  (xvi.  1-2) ;  (4)  presents  various  greetings  (3-16) ; 
(5)  interposes  a  concluding  warning  (17-20)  ;  (6)  conveys  the 
greetings  of  his  companions  (21-23)  J  (?)  concludes  with  a 
doxology  (24-27). 


TO  THE  ROMANS   15.  15  291 

that  ye  yourselves  are  full  of  goodness,  filled  with  all 
knowledge,  able  also  to  admonish  one  another.     But  I  15 
write  the  more  boldly  unto  you  in  some  measure,  as 
putting  you  again  in  remembrance,  because  of  the  grace 

I.   XV.  14-21.      The  motive  of  iJie  Epistle. 

(a)  Although  the  Apostle  is  sure  of  the  Christian  excellence  of 
his  readers  and  their  ability  to  promote  one  another's  spiritual 
life,  yet  he  has  ventured,  with  not  a  little  earnestness,  to  recall 
to  them  familiar  truths,  because,  as  called  of  God  to  apostleship 
among  the  Gentiles,  he  is  conscious  that  it  is  his  work  so  to  care 
for  the  life  of  the  Gentile  churches  that  they  may  prove  a  sacrifice 
well  pleasing  unto  God  (14-16).  (6)  He  has  worked  with  clear 
proofs  of  God's  presence  with  and  favour  to  him  from  Jerusalem 
in  the  south-east  to  Illyricum  in  the  north-west  of  a  field  of 
labour,  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  which  he  has 
preached  the  gospel  for  the  first  time,  as  he  will  not  carry  on 
work  another  has  begun,  or  claim  credit  for  what  another  has 
accomplished  (17-21). 

14.  And  I  myself.  Paul  apologizes,  in  a  way,  for  writing 
such  plain,  earnest  counsels  to  a  church  over  which  he  could 
not  claim  the  authority  of  its  founder.  When  he  commends  the 
Christian  experience  and  character  of  the  church,  however,  he 
is  not  paying  an  empty  compliment.  The  tone  of  the  letter 
throughout,  as  compared  witli  i  and  2  Corinthians,  and  still 
more  Galatians,  shews  that  there  was  little  to  find  fault  with, 
and  much  to  praise  in  the  church  at  Rome. 

g-Qodness  :  kindness  of  heart,  willingness  to  help. 

all  knowledg"e  :  an  understanding  of  Christian  truth  and  duty 
as  a  whole  (i  Cor.  xiii.  2). 

able  also  to  admonish  one  another.  Those  who  are  able 
to  teach  are  willing  themselves  to  be  taught.  The  position  of 
Rome  in  the  empire  gave  to  the  church  there  an  influence  and 
authority  among  the  other  churches,  for  which  Paul  believed 
that  it  possessed  qualifications  ;  his  desire  is  to  make  it  as  efficient 
in  service  as  possible. 

15.  more  boldly:  or,  'somewhat  boldly.'  His  manner  'in 
part*  of  the  Epistle  (in  some  measure)  might  appear  more 
authoritative  than  his  relation  to  the  church  warranted.  Such 
passages  may  be  vi.  12,  19,  viii.  9,  xi.  17,  xii.  3,  xiii.  3,  13,  xiv, 
XV.  I.  There  he  had  warned  against  error  and  sin,  urged  amend- 
ment, and  commanded  righteousness  in  very  plain  terms  with 
direct  personal  appeal.  He  fears  that  some  in  the  church  might 
resent  such  dealing. 

putting-  you  ...  in  remembrance.  This  too  is  an  apologetic 
plea ;    he  does  not  assume  their  ignorance  in  his  counsels  and 

U    2 


292  TO  THE  ROMANS  15.  16-18 

16  that  was  given  me  of  God,  that  I  should  be  a  minister  of 
Christ  Jesus  unto  the  Gentiles,  ministering  the  gospel 
of  God,  that  the  offering  up  of  the  Gentiles  might  be 

t;  made  acceptable,  being  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  I 
have  therefore   my  glorying  in  Christ  Jesus  in  things 

18  pertaining  to  God.     For  I  will  not  dare  to  speak  of  any 

commands  ;  he  is  sure  that  these  elementary  truths  and  duties 
are  familiar  to  them  ;  all  they  need  is  to  have  their  memory 
refreshed. 

because  of  the  grace.  God  had  shewn  him  favour  in  calling 
him  to  the  apostolate,  and  in  separating  him  to  work  among  the 
Gentiles,  and  this  is  his  warrant  for  reminding  those  whom  it 
had  not  been  his  privilege  first  to  teach. 

16.  minister  .  .  .  ministeringr.  Two  distinct  words  are 
used ;  from  the  first  word  our  word  *  liturgy  *  is  derived,  and 
it  means  *a  priest'  (Heb.  viii.  2).  The  second  word  means 
definitely  'ministering  in  sacrifice'  (R.V.  marg.).  It  is  in 
preaching  the  gospel  that  Paul  discharges  his  duty  as  priest ; 
the  sacrifice  he  offers  is  the  Gentile  church,  purified  and  con- 
secrated unto  God  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  Phil.  ii.  17  we  have 
similar  imagery,  in  which  the  faith  of  the  Philippians  is  the 
sacrifice,  and  Paul's  blood  (he  was  expecting  death  soon)  is 
the  libation  poured  out  on  this  sacrifice.  The  same  figure  of 
speech  is  used  in  the  practical  appeal  in  xii.  1,2.  A  contrast  is 
evidently  intended  between  the  ritual  of  the  old  and  of  the 
new  covenant ;  the  victims  of  the  former  were  senseless  beasts, 
of  the  latter,  human  souls  ;  the  sacrificing  priests  in  the  former 
owed  their  position  to  physical  descent,  in  the  latter,  to  a  Divine 
call ;  the  sacrifices  of  the  former  must  be  free  of  physical  defect, 
of  the  latter,  cleansed  and  renewed  by  the  Holy  Spirit ;  in  the 
offerings  of  the  former  God  no  longer  took  delight,  with  those 
of  the  latter  He  was  wdll  pleased. 

1*7.  my  gflorying'.  i  His  confidence  in  his  position  warrants 
his  tone  of  authority  ;  and  for  this  confidence  he  states  two 
reasons  :  (i)  his  Divind  appointment,  'the  grace  given'  him  (16, 
17);  (2)  the  extent  arrd  success  of  his  labours,  confirming  the 
Divine  call  (18-21).  Patul  often  speaks  of  his  glorying,  sometimes 
(as  here)  seriously,  sometimes  (as  in  2  Corinthians)  ironically, 
although  he  recognizes  that  man  has  nought  whereof  to  glory 
before  God  (iii.  27%  and  that  he  that  glorieth  should  glory  in  the 
Lord  (2  Cor.  x.  17). 

18.  Instead  of  saying,  *  I  will  restrict  myself  only  to  the  work 
which  I  alone  have  done,'  Paul  says,  perhaps  with  a  view  to 
charges  made  against  him  in  such  terms,  *I  will  not  presume 


TO  THE  ROMANS   15.  19  293 

things  save  those  which  Christ  wrought  through  me,  for 
the  obedience  of  the  Gentiles,  by  word  and  deed,  in  the 
power  of  signs  and  wonders,  in  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  so  that  from  Jerusalem,  and  round  about  even 
unto  Illyricum,  I  have  fully  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ ; 

to  mention  any  works  but  those  in  which  I  myself  was  Christ's 
agent  for  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles.'  The  sentence  reads 
literally  (R.  V.  marg.),  *  For  I  will  not  dare  to  speak  of  those 
things  which  Christ  wrought  not  through  me.'  He  recognizes 
that  he  is  one  of  Christ's  agents,  but  not  the  only  one. 

obedience  of  the  Gentiles.     Faith   is  an  act  of  obedience 

(i.  5). 

by  word  and  deed :  *  by  speech  and  action ' ;  an  adverbial 
clause  qualif3-ing  wroxig-ht  (2  Cor.  x.  11). 

19.  in  the  power  of  sigfns  and  wonders.  The  N.  T.  1  as  three 
terms  for  miracles:  'powers,'  indicating  the  energy  by  which 
they  are  wrought ;  'signs,*  expressing  their  significance  as  media 
of  revelation  ;  '  wonders,'  describing  their  effect  on  the  witnesses. 
Paul  here  varies  the  use  of  the  terms  by  using  one  of  them  as 
descriptive  of  a  feature  of  the  other  two  (i  Cor.  xii.  28;  2  Cor. 
xii.  12).  The  usual  objection  to  the  admission  of  miracles,  namely, 
that  the  evidence  is  not  sufficient,  and  that  the  distinction  between 
natural  and  supernatural  was  not  clearly  drawn,  are  adequately 
met  by  this  personal  testimony  of  the  Apostle  to  his  consciousr  ess 
of  possessing  such  powers,  and  by  the  supernatural  character 
beyond  doubt  or  question  of  some  of  the  events  clearly  and  fully 
recorded  in  Acts. 

the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost :  or,  '  Spirit  of  God '  (so  many 
ancient  authorities  read,  R.  V.  marg.);  or,  'Spirit'  (as  one 
authority  reads,  R.  V.  marg.).  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Divine 
agent  .in  the  working  of  miracles,  and  the  source  of  all  gifts  of 
grace,  which  Paul  claimed  that  he  possessed  in  abundant  measure 
(i  Cor.  xiv.  i8). 

from  Jerusalem,  and  round  about  even  unto  Illyricum. 
Three  questions  are  raised  by  this  account  of  Paul's  travels,  (i) 
Does  'round  about'  refer  to  the  country  around  Jerusalem, 
including,  it  maybe,  even  Syria  (Gen.  xxxv.  5,  'the  cities  that 
were  round  about  them ' ;  xii.  48,  *  the  field,  which  was  round  about 
every  city')  ?  The  absence  of  the  article  seems  to  be  against  this 
sense.  The  phrase  seems  to  be  used  in  a  more  indefinite  sense, 
'hither  and  thither,'  'on  this  side  and  on  that,'  throughout  the 
countries  lying  between  Jerusalem  on  the  one  hand  and  Illyricum 
on  the  other.  (2)  Does  '  even  unto  Illyricum  '  include  or  exclude 
Illyria  itself?     It  may  mean  just  to  the  borders  of  lilyria.    Acts 


294  TO  THE  ROMANS   15.  20,21 

20  yea,  making  it  my  aim  so  to  preach  the  gospel,  not  where 
Christ  was  already  named,  that  I  might  not  build  upon 

21  another  man's  foundation  ;  but,  as  it  is  written, 

They  shall  see,  to  whom  no  tidings  of  him  came. 
And  they  who  have  not  heard  shall  understand. 

does  not  record  any  ministry  in  Illyria,  but  at  the  time  when  it 
must  have  taken  place,  if  at  all,  the  record  of  Paul's  travels  runs 
thus,  '  Paul .  .  .  departed  for  to  go  into  Macedonia,  And  when  he 
had  gone  through  those  parts,  and  had  given  them  much  exhorta- 
tion, he  came  into  Greece'  (xx.  i,  2).  Illyria  may  be  included  in 
*  those  parts.'  In  Titus  iii.  12  instructions  are  given  to  Titus  to 
meet  Paul  at  Nicopolis,  where  he  has  determined  to  winter  ;  but 
the  uncertainty  about  the  Pastoral  Epistles  is  such  that  we  can 
derive  no  positive  evidence  from  such  an  allusion.  It  has  been 
pointed  out  that  Paul,  in  following  the  Egnatian  way  to  Thessa- 
lonica,  would  see  on  one  side  of  the  road  the  mountains  of  Illyria. 
This  might  suggest  to  him  this  description  of  the  western  limits  of  his 
journeyings.  (3)  '  Illyria '  itself  may  be  used  either  for  the  Roman 
province  so  called,  north  of  Macedonia  and  west  of  Thrace, 
which  was  also  called  Dalmatia  ;  or  for  the  country  inhabited  by 
Illyrians,  part  of  which  lay  in  the  Roman  province  of  Macedonia. 
The  same  question  arises  regarding  Paul's  use  of  *  Galatian.' 

fully  preaclied:  Gr.  'fulfilled.'  The  term  is  used  geographi- 
cally. Paul  had  covered  all  the  ground  between  the  points  named. 
He  does  not  here  claim  to  have  visited  every  place  in  these 
regions,  but  he  had  established  churches  in  the  great  centres,  from 
which  the  surrounding  country  might  be  reached.  (The  words 
'heathen,'  a  dweller  on  the  heath,  and  'pagan,'  a  villager,  suggest 
this  as  the  common  method  of  evangelization.)  The  labours  of 
a  pioneer  missionary  were  no  longer  needed  ;  it  might  be  left  to 
the  churches  already  founded  to  complete  the  work. 

20.  Paul  qualifies  his  previous  statement.  Some  places  he 
might  have  visited  he  avoided,  for  he  made  it  his  aim,  strove 
eagerly,  or  was  ambitious,  to  be  always  a  pioneer,  not  appro- 
priating any  credit  for,  or  entering  into  competition  with,  the 
labours  of  others. 

named :  as  the  object  of  worship. 

another  man's  foundation.  This  same  purpose  Paul  ex-' 
presses  in  2  Cor.  x.  15,  16.  His  work  he  speaks  of  as  laying 
a  foundation  as  a  wise  master-builder  (i  Cor.  iii.  10);  and  he 
describes  the  church  as  built  on  'the  foundation  of  the  apostles 
and  prophets'  (Eph.  ii.  20). 

21.  as  it  is  written.  This  is  a  quotation  from  Isa.  Iii.  15. 
LXX.     The  prophet  is  describing  the  astonishment  of  nations  and 


\ 


TO  THE  ROMANS   15.  22-24  295 

Wherefore  also  I  was  hindered  these  many  times  from  22 
coming  to  you :  but  now,  having  no  more  any  place  in  23 
these  regions,  and  having  these  many  years  a  longing  to 
come  unto  you,  whensoever  I  go  unto  Spain  (for  I  hope  24 

kings  at  the  suffering,  righteous  Servant  of  Jehovah.  Paul  uses 
the  words  to  give  a  reason  for  his  pioneer  work.  His  aim  was, 
in  accordance  with  the  words  of  the  prophet,  to  preach  Christ 
where  he  had  been  hitherto  unknown. 

II.    XV.  22-33.    PanV s  plans  of  travel. 

{a)  Although  prevented  visiting  the  Roman  Church  before, 
Paul's  desire  is  as  strong  as  ever,  and  his  work  in  these  regions 
as  pioneer  missionary  having  been  accomplished,  he  hopes  to 
enjoy  the  fellowship  of  the  brethren  in  Rome,  when  on  his  way 
to  Spain  (22-24).  (^)  Before  this  plan  can  be  carried  out, 
however,  he  must  once  more  go  to  Jerusalem  to  present  in  person 
the  offering  for  the  poor  members  of  the  church  there,  which 
has  been  collected  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia  (25,  26).  (c)  This 
offering  is  an  appropriate  return  to  the  church  in  Jerusalem  for 
the  spiritual  benefit  which  the  Gentile  churches  have  received 
from  it  (26,  27).  {d)  After  accomplishing  this  task,  Paul  is 
confident  God  will  bless  his  visit  to  Rome,  as  he  goes  to  Spain 
(28,  29).     {e)  He  seeks  the  prayers  of  the  brethren  (30-33). 

22.  What  had  hindered  Paul's  visit  was  not  his  ambition  to  do 
only  pioneer  work,  but  the  demands  which  his  present  sphere  of 
labour  made  upon  him.  We  may  recall  the  dispute  at  Antioch, 
the  negotiations  at  Jerusalem,  the  controversy  in  Galatia,  the 
dissensions  in  Corinth,  the  opportunities  at  Ephesus,  as  claims  on 
his  time  and  strength,  which  hindered  new  enterprises. 

these  many  times :  when  either  the  intention  was  more 
definitely  entertained,  or  when  the  opportunity  to  travel  to  Rome 
again  presented  itself. 

having"  no   more   any    place :    *  as    I  have  no  longer  any 
opportunity  for  work '  (see  note  on  xii.  19). 
reg"ions:  ///.  climates. 

many  years.  Paul's  interest  in  Rome  may  have  dated  from 
his  first  intercourse  with  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  which  took  place 
about  six  years  before  the  letter  was  written. 

24.  The  construction  is  incomplete,  and  the  Received  Text  seeks 
to  correct  this  b}^  inserting  the  words  '  I  will  come  unto  you  '  after 
'  Spain ';  but  it  is  not  probable  that  this  is  the  original  text.  Paul's 
mention  of  Spain  leads  him  to  state  his  plans  of  travel,  but  when 
he  is  giving  these  he  finds  it  needful  to  state  the  reason  why  he 
cannot  carry  out  these  plans  at  once.     The  mention  of  the  journey 


296  TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  25,26 

to  see  you  in  my  journey,  and  to  be  brought  on  my  way 
thitherward  by  you,  if  first  in  some  measure  I  shall  have 

25  been  satisfied  with  your  company) — but  now,  I  say,  I  go 

26  unto  Jerusalem,  ministering  unto  the  saints.     For  it  hath 
been  the  good  pleasure  of  Macedonia  and  Achaia  to  make 

to  Jerusalem  brings  up  the  subject  of  the  collection,  with  all  the 
hopes  which  he  cherished  regarding  it.  Thus  he  is  led  on  from 
topic  to  topic,  and  leaves  his  sentence  incomplete.  In  verse  28 
only  does  he  again  take  up  the  broken  thread  of  his  discourse  in 
the  words  '  I  will  go  on,  &c. ' 

Spain.  Did  Paul  get  his  plan  carried  out  ?  On  the  assumption 
that  the  Pastoral  Epistles  in  their  present  form  are  genuine 
Pauline  letters,  it  is  generally  maintained  that  Paul  was  acquitted 
after  two  years'  imprisonment  in  Rome,  was  released,  visited 
some  of  his  former  spheres  of  labour  in  the  East,  and  possibly  even 
Spain,  wrote  during  these  journeyings  i  Timothy  and  Titus,  was 
rearrested,  thrown  into  prison,  from  which  he  wrote  2  Timoth3'', 
was  again  tried,  condemned,  and  put  to  death  by  beheading  about 
A.  D.  66.  The  problem  of  the  Pastoral  Epistles  is  so  involved, 
however,  that  we  cannot  with  any  confidence  assert  as  a  fact 
Paul's  release,  journeyings,  and  second  imprisonment.  Even  if 
we  could,  that  would  only  prove  the  possibility  of  a  visit  to  Spain. 
The  only  evidence  for  such  a  visit  which  can  be  produced  is  a 
reference  in  the  Muratorian  fragment,  which  cannot  be  reckoned 
as  independent  testimony,  and  the  statement  of  Clement  of  Rome 
that  Paul  had  gone  even  *  to  the  end  of  the  West,'  a  phrase 
which  it  is  held  can  mean  nothing  else  than  Spain.  But  this  is 
by  no  means  obvious.  Clement,  as  a  Jew  writing  to  the  Corinthians, 
may  have  so  described  Rome  itself.  Even  if  he  referred  to  Spain, 
his  statement  may  have  been  an  inference  from  this  passage,  not 
resting  on  any  distinct  proof.  There  is  no  trace  of  any  work  of 
Paul  in  Spain  preserved  in  tradition, 

brougrlit  on  my  way :  with  prayers  and  good  wishes,  but 
perhaps  also  with  companions  and  means  of  support  (i  Cor.  xvi. 
5  ;  2  Cor.  i.  16). 

25.  ministsring"  tinto  the  saints.  Thus  Paul  describes  his 
mission  to  present  in  person  the  contribution  of  the  Gentile 
churches  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  members  in  Jerusalem  (2  Cor. 
viii.  4). 

26.  good  pleasurs.  Paul  desires  to  make  plain  that  the  Jeru- 
salem church  could  and  did  not  levy  a  tax  on  the  Gentile  churches, 
as  the  authorities  of  the  Jewish  temple  required  contributions 
from  the  Jews  settled  abroad.  This  was  a  free-will  offering, 
heartily  made. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   15.  27,28  297 

a  certain  contribution  for  the  poor  among  the  saints  that 
are  at  Jerusalem.  Yea,  it  hath  been  their  good  pleasure  ;  27 
and  their  debtors  they  are.  For  if  the  Gentiles  have 
been  made  partakers  of  their  spiritual  things,  they  owe 
it  to  them  also  to  minister  unto  them  in  carnal  things. 
When  therefore   I   have  accomplished   this,  and   have  28 

contribution:  lit.  'communion.'  The  giving  of  help  to  is 
the  sharing  of  life  with  another. 

poor.  Many  of  the  members  of  the  church  in  Jerusalem 
belonged  to  the  working  class,  and  in  a  town  where  the  priestly 
influence  was  strong,  and  used  against  the  Christian  Church,  these 
men  and  women  must  often  have  found  it  hard  to  get  employment. 
From  the  very  beginning,  as  the  story  in  Acts  shews,  the  church 
had  a  number  of  poor  members  dependent  on  the  bounty  of  the 
rich,  who  responded  with  a  generosity  so  great  that  it  soon  put 
a  severe  strain  on  their  resources.  The  church  had  soon  to  look 
beyond  its  own  borders  to  the  churches  being  formed  for  help. 
It  was  part  of  Paul's  agreement  with  the  leaders  of  the  church  in 
Jerusalem  that  he  should  '  remember  the  poor,'  and  he  is  able  to 
add  that  this  he  'was  also  zealous  to  do'  (Gal.  ii.  lo). 

27.  While  the  gift  was  spontaneous  it  was  appropriate  ;  for 
the  Gentiles  were  under  spiritual  obligation  to  the  mother-church, 
spiritual  .  .  .  carnal.  The  Jerusalem  Church  sent  the 
Gentiles  the  gospel,  a  spiritual  benefit  ;  the  Gentile  churches 
sent  the  Jewish  Church  the  means  of  relieving  bodily  want, 
a  carnal  benefit.  'Carnal'  means  here  simply  what  belongs  to 
the  body,  and  has  no  bad  moral  association,  as  in  Paul's  use  the 
term  often  has  (see  vii,  14).  The  same  contrast  is  found  in  i  Cor. 
ix.  II. 

minister.  Here  again  the  term  which  is  applied  especially 
to  priestly  service  is  used. 

26,  27.  These  contributions  are  mentioned  in  Acts  xxiv.  17  as 
the  reason  for  Paul's  visit  to  Jerusalem.  In  i  Cor.  xvi.  1-3  Paul 
gives  instructions  that,  as  in  Galatia,  so  in  Corinth,  the  collection 
for  the  saints  be  made,  and  that  chosen  messengers  be  sent  with 
him  to  take  it  to  Jerusalem.  In  2  Cor.  ix.  i  Paul  repeats  his 
boast  about  the  readiness  of  Achaia,  made  to  the  churches  in 
Macedonia,  whose  liberality,  however,  is  also  commended  in 
viii.  I.  What  have  been  called  'the  undesigned  coincidences* 
of  all  these  passages  have  been  used  as  evidence  of  the  historicity 
of  Acts  and  the  authenticity  of  the  Pauline  Epistles. 

23.  accomplished.  The  term  is  used  especially  of  completing 
religious  rites  (Hcb.  ix.  6).  The  use  of  the  term  here,  as  of 
'priestly  ministering'  in  verse  27,  shews  that  Paul  regarded  this 


298  TO  THE  ROMANS   15.  29,30 

sealed  to  them  this  fruit,  I  will  go  on  by  you  unto  Spain. 
29  And  I  know  that,  when  I  come  unto  you,  I  shall  come 

in  the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  Christ. 
3D      Now   I    beseech  you,   brethren,   by  our  Lord  Jesus 

Christ,   and  by  the  love   of  the  Spirit,  that  ye   strive 


contribution  as  a  sacred  religious  service,  as  a  thank-offering  to 
God  as  w^ell  as  a  kind  gift  to  men. 

sealed.  The  seal  was  a  mark  of  ownership,  Paul  was  going 
formally  and  solemnly  to  make  over  the  gifts  of  the  Gentiles  to 
the  church  in  Jerusalem.  He  by  acting  in  this  matter  in  person 
attested  three  facts  :  (i)  that  the  gospel  went  forth  from  the 
church  in  Jerusalem,  (2)  that  he  himself  had  been  the  bearer 
of  the  gospel,  (3)  that  the  Gentile  churches  had  received  the 
gospel  in  faith,  and  were  bringing  forth  the  fruits  of  faith  in  their 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  church  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  the 
return  they  were  making  for  the  benefits  received.  Paul,  it  is 
evident,  was  on  the  one  hand  very  anxious  about  the  state  of 
feeHng  to  himself  and  the  Gentile  churches  in  Jerusalem,  and 
on  the  other  very  hopeful  that,  if  he  presented  these  gifts  in 
person,  prejudices  miglit  be  removed,  and  harmony  restored,  and 
so  the  unity  of  the  Christian  Church,  the  intense  passionate  desire 
of  his  great  heart,  might  be  realized. 

29.  Paul's  confidence  that  he  would  visit  Rome  was  not 
mistaken  ;  but  the  circumstances  of  his  visit  were  very  different 
from  what  he  intended  or  expected.  As  the  allusions  in  Philippians 
shew,  his  ministry  in  Rome,  although  he  was  a  prisoner,  was  in 
'  the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  Christ.' 

30-33.  Paul's  hopes  for  the  future  are  mingled  with  fears,  and  so 
he  asks  prayer  that  his  hopes  may  be  fulfilled,  and  his  fears  may 
vanish.  His  address  on  the  way  to  Jerusalem  at  Miletus  shews 
what  anxiety  he  was  feeling  about  the  issue  of  his  visit,  betrays 
even  a  growing  conviction  of  coming  evil  (Acts  xx.  22,  23).  He 
was  willing  to  be  a  martyr,  if  need  be,  that  he  might  draw  closer 
the  bonds  of  love  between  the  Jewish  and  Gentile  believers.  Yet 
he  asks  the  church  to  pray  earnestly  along  with  him,  (i)  that 
the  unbelieving  Jews  may  not  be  able  to  carry  out  their  hostile 
intentions  against  him,  (2)  that  the  church  in  Jerusalem  may  be 
won  to  cordiality  by  the  contribution  which  he  brings,  and  (3) 
that  his  plans  to  visit  Rome  may  be  carried  out  prosperously. 

30.  the  love  of  the  Spirit :  the  brotherly  love,  which  is  one  of 
the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  (Gal.  v.  22). 

strive  tog-ether:  lit.  'agonize  with' (Luke  xxii.  44).  Earnest 
prayer  is  compared  to  a  conflict. 


TO  THE  ROMANS,   15.  31-33  299 

together  with  me  in  your  prayers  to  God  for  me;   that  31 
I  may  be  delivered  from  them  that  are  disobedient  in 
Judaea,  and  that  my  ministration  which  /  have  for  Jeru- 
salem may  be  acceptable  to  the  saints ;  that  I  may  come  32 
unto  you  in  joy  through  the  will  of  God,  and  together 
with  you  find  rest.     Now  the  God  of  peace  be  with  you  33 
all.     Amen. 

31.  them  that  are  disobedient.  Faith  is  an  obedience;  the 
unbelieving  Jews  have  not  submitted  themselves  to  God's  right- 
eousness ;  the  disobedient  are  the  unbelieving  Jews  whose  hostility 
Paul  has  incurred  by  (i)  insisting  on  the  admission  of  the  Gentiles 
into  the  church  without  circumcision  ;  (2)  allowing  himself  a 
freedom  in  intercourse  with  Gentile  converts,  which  to  Jewish 
exclusiveness  appeared  a  direct  violation  of  Mosaic  law ;  (3) 
declining  to  make  his  mission  in  any  way  a  Jewish  propaganda. 
The  history  in  Acts  shews  what  good  reason  Paul  had  for 
expecting  this  hostility. 

the  saints  :  the  members  of  the  Christian  Church  in  Jerusalem 
about  whose  feelings  to  himself  Paul  was  doubtful.  If  we  read 
carefully  the  record  of  the  reception  of  Paul  in  Jerusalem  (Acts 
xxi.  17-25),  we  shall  be  sensible  of  a  lack  of  cordiality.  Nothing 
is  reported  about  the  contribution,  from  which  Paul  hoped  so 
much.  James's  one  anxiety  seems  to  be  to  disarm  the  hostility  by 
yielding  to  the  prejudice  of  the  narrowest  section  of  the  church. 
Paul's  compliance  must  not  be  regarded  as  prompted  by  a  prudent 
regard  for  his  own  safet}'.  It  was  inspired  by  his  intense, 
passionate  desire  to  remove  discord  and  restore  harmony  in  the 
Christian  Church.  The  argument  from  silence  must  be  carefully 
used,  j'et  it  is  significant  that  in  the  entire  subsequent  record 
there  is  no  trace  of  an  act  or  a  word  of  sj'mpathy  with  Paul  on  the 
part  of  the  Christian  Church  in  Jerusalem.  It  is  a  relative  of 
Paul's  who  gives  him  a  warning  of  the  plot  against  him. 

32.  The  value  of  Paul's  visit  to  Rome,  and  not  only  the 
possibility  of  it,  depended  on  the  character  of  his  reception  in 
Jerusalem.  In  pra3'ing  that  his  mission  might  prosper,  they  were 
asking  that  he  might  not  onl^'  be  able  to  come  to  them,  but  be  in 
so  glad  and  hopeful  a  mood  that  the  visit  might  do  both  him  and 
them  the  greatest  possible  good. 

find  rest.  What  Paul  longed  for  after  all  his  trials  and  strug- 
gles was  a  time  of  quiet  and  peace  in  a  friendly  community,  with 
no  danger  to  alarm  him,  no  disputes  to  vex  him,  no  lapses  to  dis- 
appoint him. 

33.  Having  asked   their  prayers,   Paul   gives   them   his.      His 


300  TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  1,2 

16      I  commend  unto  you   Phoebe  our  sister,  who  is  a 
2  servant  of  the  church  that  is  at  Cenchrese  :  that  ye  receive 


prayer  may  have  been  suggested  by  his  own  circumstances  of 
anxiety  and  uncertainty,  by  the  general  condition  of  the  Christian 
churches,  in  which,  as  it  would  seem,  perfect  unity  had  not  yet 
been  secured,  or,  if  xiv.  i — xv.  13  indicates  not  a  remote  possibility 
but  a  present  reality  of  discord  in  the  church  at  Rome,  by  the 
actual  needs  of  the  Roman  Church. 

III.  xvi.  I,  2.     Introduction  for  PJicebe. 

Phoebe,  a  deaconess  of  the  church  in  Cenchreae,  as  a  helper  of 
many  believers,  and  even  Paul  himself,  is  commended  to  the 
Christian  welcome  and  good  offices  in  all  matters  of  the  members 
of  the  church  in  Rome. 

1.  commend:  'introduce  with  favourable  recommendation.* 
'Letters  of  commendation'  (2  Cor.  iii.  i)  afterwards  came  to 
play  an  important  part  in  the  intercourse  of  the  churches  with  one 
another.  As  the  Christians  were  very  cordial  and  generous  in 
their  treatment  of  any  stranger  coming  among  them  (see  notes 
on  xii.  i3\  such  letters  came  to  be  more  and  more  necessary  to 
prevent  imposture. 

Phoebe.  Nothing  else  is  known  of  her,  she  probably  was 
the  bearer  of  the  letter  to  Rome.  Though  the  name  belonged  to 
a  heathen  deity  she  had  retained  it  ev^en  after  her  conversion  and 
baptism. 

sister:  not  physicall}',  but  spiritually  (see  xii.  io\ 

servant:  or,  'deaconess,'  this  is  the  only  mention  of  the 
office  in  the  N.  T.  In  i  Tim.  iii.  11  the  reference  is  to  the  wives 
of  deacons.  The  widows  spoken  of  in  v.  3  cannot  without  further 
evidence  be  regarded  as  deaconesses.  That  a  want  for  women  to 
minister  in  various  wa3'S  to  women  who  were  kept  in  stricter 
seclusion,  as  at  baptism,  in  sick  visiting,  in  poor  relief,  &c.,  must 
soon  have  been  felt  is  certain ;  but  how  far  those  who  dis- 
charged such  functions  of  ministry  were  organized  into  a  definitely 
recognized  order  we  have  no  evidence  in  the  N.T.  Pliny's  letter 
to  Trajan  shews  that  such  women-helpers  were  known  in  some 
of  the  churches  early  in  the  second  century. 

church..  The  term  is  used  in  three  senses:  (i)  the  local  con- 
gregation, (2)  all  the  congregations  regarded  as  a  unity,  and 
(3)  the  mystical  body  of  Christ.     It  is  the  first  sense  here. 

CenchresB  was  the  part  of  Corinth  on  the  Saronic  gulf, 
from  which  there  was  much  intercourse  with  Ephesus.  As  many 
strangers  passed  through  it,  Phoebe  would  have  many  opportunities 
for  shewing  hospitality. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  3  301 

her  in  ihe  Lord,  worthily  of  the  saints,  and  that  ye  assist 
her  in  whatsoever  matter  she  may  have  need  of  you  :  for 
she  herself  also  hath  been  a  succourer  of  many,  and  of 
mine  own  self. 

Salute  Prisca  and  Aquila  my  fellow-workers  in  Christ  3 

2.  wortMly  of  the  saints:  both  such  as  saints  should  give  her, 
and  such  as  she  as  a  saint  deserves. 

whatsoever  matter.  Probably  Phoebe  had  been  obliged  to 
visit  Rome  on  important  legal  business,  in  which  the  more  in- 
timate local  knowledge  of  the  members  of  the  church  might  be 
useful  to  her.  It  was  not  any  material  assistance  on  account  of 
poverty  that  she  needed. 

succourer:  the  Greek  term  corresponds  to  the  Latin  patron, 
'the  legal  representative  of  the  foreigner.'  Among  the  Jews  it 
meant  as  well  the  wealthy  patron,  in  the  sense  we  now  use  the 
term,  of  a  Jewish  community,  as,  for  instance,  the  Roman  centurion 
who  built  a  synagogue  for  the  Jews  in  Capernaum  (Luke  vii.  5). 
The  term  was  also  applied  to  an  office-bearer  in  a  heathen  re- 
ligious association.'  Phoebe  may,  therefore,  have  been  a  lady  of 
rank  and  wealth,  who  could  help  not  only  financially,  but  even 
socially  and  politically,  her  fellow  believers. 

auiue  own  self:  possibly  in  time  of  illness  (as  Gal.  iv.  13-15). 

IV.  xvi.  3-16.     Personal  greetings. 

Paul  sends  various  greetings,  with  in  some  cases  brief  commen- 
datory or  affectionate  descriptions,  to  the  members  of  the  Roman 
Church,  whom  he  personally  knows. 

3.  Prisca  and  Aquila.  In  Acts  the  wife  is  named  Priscilla, 
and  we  are  told  the  following  facts  about  this  couple.  Paul  first 
met  them  in  Corinth  on  his  first  visit  there.  Although  a  Jew  of 
Pontus,  Aquila  and  his  wife  had  been  resident  in  Rome,  and  had 
been  forced  to  leave  it  on  account  of  a  recent  expulsion  of  Jews 
(see  Introduction,  p.  ii).  As  they  were  of  the  same  trade  as 
Paul  himself,  weavers  of  tent-cloth,  Paul  lodged  and  worked 
along  with  them  (xviii.  1-3).  They  left  Corinth  with  him,  but 
stayed  behind  in  Ephesus  (18,  19),  where  in  Paul's  absence  they 
met  Apollos,  and  instructed  him  (26).  When  Paul  again  visited 
Ephesus  they  were  still  there,  and  a  church  met  in  their  house, 
as  the  greeting  which  Paul  sends  in  i  Cor.  xvi.  19  shews.  As 
this  first  Corinthian  epistle  was  written  from  Ephesus  almost  two 
years  before  Romans,  they  must  soon  after  Paul's  departure  from 
Ephesus  have  left  for  Rome.  A  greeting  is  sent  to  them  in  2  Tim. 
iv.  19.  As  this  letter  is  generally  supposed  to  have  been  written 
eight  years  after  Romans,  and  to  have  been  addressed  to  Ephesus, 


302  TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  4 

4  Jesus,  who  for  my  life  laid  down  their  own  necks ;  unto 

they  must  again  have  returned  to  Ephesus  from  Rome.  Is  this 
record  of  travel  and  change  of  abode  in  itself  improbable?  Some 
have  thought  so,  and  have  based  on  the  improbability  an  argu- 
ment against  the  integrity  of  Romans.  There  is  something  that 
can  be  urged  against  such  a  conclusion.  The  Jews  did  travel 
about  a  great  deal  for  purposes  of  trade  or  business.  After  the 
conversion  of  this  couple,  may  not  their  travels  have  been  due  to 
another  motive  as  well?  In  the  interests  of  the  gospel  they  may 
have  gone  where  their  trade  connexions  might  be  helpful  to  them. 
Even  as  they  went  to  Ephesus  with  Paul  from  Corinth,  and 
became  in  Ephesus  a  centre  of  Christian  life,  so  they  may  have 
gone  to  Rome  to  prepare  for  Paul's  visit,  their  previous  sojourn 
there  making  them  more  useful  for  such  a  purpose  than  entire 
strangers  would  have  been.  It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  Paul 
owed  much  of  his  knowledge  about  Rome  to  them  ;  and  if  they 
were  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  Pauline  gospel, 
and  as  ready  to  instruct  others  in  Rome  as  they  had  shewn  them- 
selves in  the  case  of  Apollos  in  Ephesus,  they  may  have  had  some 
discussions  with  Christians  in  Rome  who  still  felt  some  objection 
to  Paul's  doctrine.  Some  of  these  objections  they  may  have  com- 
municated to  Paul,  and  in  his  questions  we  may  have  not  merely 
a  rhetorical  device,  but  simply  a  statement  of  what  he  had  been 
asked  by  Aquila  and  Priscilla  to  explain,  so  as  to  enable  them 
effectually  to  meet  objections.  Some  archaeological  evidence  has 
been  produced  in  order  to  connect  Aquila  and  Priscilla  with 
Rome ;  but  it  is  far  from  convincing.  It  is  not  improbable, 
however,  that  as  Prisca,  or  Priscilla,  was  a  name  common  among 
the  women  of  the  Acilian  gens,  to  which  Acilius  Glabrio,  consul 
in  A.D.  91,  who  died  a  Christian,  belonged,  this  Jewish  couple 
may  both  have  been  freed  slaves  of  this  family,  and  to  them  may 
have  been  due  the  Christian  influence  in  it.  It  has  been  pointed 
out  that  in  four  of  the  six  places  where  this  couple  is  mentioned 
the  wife's  name  precedes  her  husband's.  From  this  it  has  been 
concluded  that  the  husband  alone  was  a  Jew,  and  the  wife  a  noble 
Roman  lady.  While  it  is  possible  that  a  Roman  lady,  having 
become  a  proselyte  to  Judaism,  might  marry  a  Jew,  it  is  not  at  all 
probable  that  she  would  travel  about  with  him  and  engage  in  so 
humble  a  trade.  Whether  they  were  already  Christians  when  Paul 
met  them,  or  are  to  be  numbered  among  his  converts,  is  uncertain. 
Recently  the  bold  suggestion  has  been  hazarded  by  a  great 
scholar,  that  Priscilla  with  Aquila  wrote  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews,  but  her  name  was  early  suppressed  owing  to  the  objec- 
tion felt  to  admitting  a  woman's  work  among  apostolic  writings. 

4.     laid  down  their  own  necks.     It  is  uncertain  whether  we 
must  take  the  phrase  literally,  *  ran  the  risk  of  public  execution, ' 


TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  5-7  303 

whom  not  only  I  give  thanks,  but  also  all  tlie  churches 
of  the  Gentiles :    and  salute  the  church  that  is  in  their  5 
house.     Salute  Epaenetus  my  beloved,  who  is  the  first- 
fruits  of  Asia  unto  Christ.     Salute  Mary,  who  bestowed  6 
much  labour  on  you.     Salute  Andronicus  and  Junias,  my  7 

or  figuratively,  *  exposed  themselves  even  to  danger  of  their  hfe,' 
as  the  circumstances  which  are  alluded  to  are  otherwise  quite 
unknown  to  us.  Paul's  life  was  in  danger  far  oftener  than  we 
have  any  record,  and  on  some  such  occasion  this  devoted  Christian 
couple  saved  his  life  at  the  risk  of  their  own. 

all  the  churches  of  the  Gentiles.  The  preservation  of  his 
life  Paul  knew  to  be  a  benefit  to  all  the  Gentile  churches. 

5.  the  church  that  is  in  their  house.  Not  till  the  third 
century  have  we  any  proofs  of  the  existence  of  buildings  set 
apart  for  Christian  worship.  Not  only  were  most  of  the  churches 
too  poor  to  build  meeting-places,  but,  until  Christianity  became 
the  religion  of  the  empire,  the  privacy  and  secrecy  possible  in  a 
meeting  held  in  a  dwelling-house  were  important  considera- 
tions. The  wealthier  members  of  a  church  seem  to  have  put  one 
of  their  rooms  at  the  disposal  of  the  brethren  for  this  purpose. 
First  comes  the  Upper  Room,  in  which  our  Lord  held  his  Last 
Supper  with  his  disciples  (Matt.  xxvi.  18),  and  then  the  house  of 
Mary  in  Jerusalem  (Acts  xii.  12),  although  this  may  have  been  the 
same  place.  In  Ephesus  the  house  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla  was 
a  meeting-place  (i  Cor.  xvi.  19),  as  it  was  in  Rome  also.  At 
Laodicea  the  church  met  in  the  house  of  Nymphas  (Col.  iv.  15), 
and  at  Colosse  in  the  house  of  Philemon  (verse  2).  Although 
there  may  have  been  in  Rome  one  house  in  which  the  whole 
body  of  Christians  met,  yet  it  would  seem  that  it  was  usual  to 
hold  meetings  in  a  number  of  houses.  The  phrases,  *  and  the 
brethren  that  are  with  them'  (verse  14),  and  'all  the  saints  that 
are  with  them'  (15),  seem  to  imply  separate  groups  of  believers. 

Upaenetus.  No  more  is  known  of  him,  although  the  name  is 
familiar  in  inscriptions  both  in  Asia  Minor  and  Rome  ;  probably 
he  was  one  of  the  first  converts  in  the  Roman  province  of  Asia, 
even  as  Stephanas  was  of  Achaia  (i  Cor.  xvi.  15).  He  was  very 
dear  to  Paul. 

6.  SSary.  The  Greek  reading  here  is  either  *  Marian '  or 
'  Mariam.'  While  the  latter  is  Jewish,  the  former  may  be 
Roman.  Paul  usually  in  these  salutations  makes  mention  of 
Jewish  extraction,  and  the  absence  of  any  such  allusion  here  is 
rather  in  favour  of  regarding  this  woman  as  a  Gentile  convert. 

you.  Another  reading  (less  probable)  is  *us.'  If  the  latter 
reading  were  correct,  she  would  be  one  of  Paul's  friends  who  had 


304  TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  8,  9 

kinsmen,    and    my   fellow-prisoners,    who   are    of   note 

among  the  apostles,  who  also  have  been  in  Christ  before 

9  me.     Salute  Ampliatus  my  beloved  in  the  Lord.     Salute 

found  her  way  to  Rome.  But  if  the  former  is  right,  Paul's  words 
are  not  information  for  the  church  in  Rome,  but  commendation 
for  the  person  to  whom  the  salutation  is  sent. 

7.  Andronicus :  *a  Greek  name  found  among  the  members  of 
the  imperial  household. ' 

Junias:  or,  *Junia.'  The  Greek  word  is  'Junian,*  the 
accusative  case  of  either  the  masculine  name  Junias,  a  contraction 
of  Junianus,  or  the  feminine  Junia.  If  the  name  is  a  woman's,  then 
probably  she  was  the  wife  of  Andronicus  ;  but  if  Andronicus  and 
Junias  are  both  called  apostles  (see  below),  then  the  name  is  more 
probably  a  man's. 

kinsmen :  probably  fellow  countrymen,  not  relations  (so  ix. 
3).  It  is  not  likely  Paul  would  have  so  many  relatives  in  Rome 
(verses  7  and  11)  and  in  Corinth  (verse  21),  at  least  in  the 
membership  of  the  church.  Paul  has  been  led  by  the  contents  of 
his  letter  to  lay  emphasis  on  his  Jewish  patriotism,  and  it  was 
appropriate  that  he  should  thus  mark  out  his  Jewish  friends  in 
this  Gentile  Church. 

fellow-prisoners.  They  may  have  been  imprisoned  with 
Paul  at  the  same  time  and  place ;  but  all  the  phrase  may  mean  is 
that  they  too  had  suffered  imprisonment  in  Christ's  cause. 

of  note  amongf  the  apostles.  The  words  mean  either  (i) 
well  known  to  the  apostles,  or  (2)  noted  among  the  apostles. 
Considering  that  these  two  persons  are  so  fully  described,  (r)  as 
Jews,  (2)  as  sufferers  in  Christ's  service,  (3)  as  early  converts,  the 
second  is  the  more  probable  rendering.  It  is  adopted  by  all 
patristic  commentators  ;  it  suits  better  the  words  used  ;  and  it  is 
justified  by  the  wide  sense  of  the  term  apostle,  which  was  not 
restricted  to  the  Twelve  and  Paul,  but  included  others  who  were 
engaged  in  pioneer  mis^iion  work  (see  i.  i).  They  may  have  been 
the  first  bearers  of  the  gospel  to  Rome,  either  after  Pentecost  or, 
more  probably,  after  the  dispersion  which  followed  Stephen's  death. 

in  Christ  before  me:  earlier  converts  than  Paul  himself. 
The  Revisers,  with  rather  slavish  adherence  to  their  rule  about 
rendering  Greek  tenses,  render  'have  been*  here,  where  'were' 
would  be  more  idiomatic. 

3.  Ampliatus:  or,  'Amplias'  (a  contracted  form  of  the  same 
name).  A  common  slave  name  found  in  the  imperial  household. 
A  tomb  in  the  Catacombs,  in  the  cemetery  of  Domitilla  (a  noble 
Roman  lady  who  suffered  punishment  for  her  Christian  faith 
towards  the  end  of  the  first  century),  bears  this  name,  and  this 
suggests  (i)  that  the  slave  bearing  this  name  was  a  prominent 


TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  10-13  305 

Urbanus  our  fellow-worker  in  Christ,  and  Stachys  my 
beloved.     Salute  Apelles  the  approved  in  Christ.     Salute  10 
them  which  are  of  the  household  of  Aristobulus.     Salute  n 
Herodion  my  kinsman.     Salute  them  of  the /^^z^^^^^/^  of 
Narcissus,  which  are  in  the  Lord.     Salute  Tryphaena  and  1 2 
Tryphosa,  who  labour  in  the  Lord.     Salute  Persis  the 
beloved,  which  laboured  much  in  the  Lord.    Salute  Rufus  13 

person  in  the  church,  (a")  that  through  him  Christianity  may  have 
entered  a  second  great  Roman  family. 

9.  TJrbanus.     The  same  holds  good  of  this  name. 

our  fellow- worker.  When  Paul  speaks  of  personal  associates 
he  uses  *  my ' ;  *  our '  is  a  less  definite  term. 

Stachys :  a  rare  Greek  name,  but  found  in  imperial  household. 
my  beloved :  an  intimate  associate  of  the  Apostle. 

10.  Apelles:  a  name  commonly  borne  by  Jews,  as  is  shewn  by 
Horace's  contemptuous  words,  '  Let  the  Jew  Apelles  believe,  not  I.' 
A  famous  tragic  actor  bore  it,  and  it  is  also  found  in  imperial 
household. 

approved:  a  well-tried  Christian  (i  Cor.  xi.  19  ;  2  Cor.  x.  18, 
xiii.  7). 

the  household  of  Arlstohulns.  'The  younger  Aristobulus 
was  a  grandson  of  Herod  the  Great,  who  apparently  lived  and  died 
in  Rome  in  a  private  station  ;  he  was  a  friend  and  adherent  of  the 
Emperor  Claudius.'  His  household  would  probably  include  many 
Jews,  and  other  slaves  from  the  East,  and  among  them  not  a  few 
Christians.  As  he  was  probably  dead  at  this  time,  his  slaves 
would  be  added  to  the  emperor's  household,  but  would  as  a  body 
be  still  known  by  the  name  of  their  former  master. 

11.  Herodion:  a  Jew  bearing  a  name  connecting  him  with 
the  family  of  Herod,  possibly  one  of  the  household  of  Aristobulus 
singled  out  for  mention. 

household  of  Karcissns.  This  was  a  name  common  among 
slaves  and  freedmen.  Three  or  four  years  before  this  date  a  well- 
known  freedman  of  this  name  had  been  put  to  death  by  Agrippina. 
His  slaves  may  here  be  referred  to,  and  probably  after  his  death 
they  had  been  added  to  the  imperial  household. 

12.  Tryphsena  .  . .  Tryphosa:  two  sisters  probably,  the  names 
being  found  in  inscriptions.  The  common  part  of  these  names  is 
a  word  meaning  *  delicate,' '  dainty,'  and  Paul  plays  on  the  meaning 
of  their  names  when  he  speaks  of  their  labouring  in  the  Lord.  It 
was  to  their  honour  that  they  belied  their  names. 

Persis :  the  name  of  a  freedwoman  on  an  inscription. 

13.  Bufas.     Although  this  is  a  very  common  slave  name,  yet, 

X 


3o6  TO  THE  ROMANS  16.  14-16 

14  the  chosen  in  the  Lord,  and  his  mother  and  mine.    Salute 
Asyncritus,  Phlegon,  Hermes,  Patrobas,  Hermas,  and  the 

15  brethren  that  are  with  them.    Salute  Philologus  and  Julia, 
Nereus  and  his  sister,  and  Olympas,  and  all  the  saints 

16  that  are  with  them.     Salute  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss. 
All  the  churches  of  Christ  salute  you. 

as  Mark  probably  wrote  from  Rome,  the  Rufus  he  mentions  in  his 
description  of  Simon  of  Cyrene  as  the  father  of  Alexander  and 
Rufus  (xv.  21)  may  be  the  same  person  as  is  here  saluted  by 
Paul. 

chosen  in  the  Lord:  the  eminent  Christian. 

and  mine.  She  had  been  to  him  as  a  mother,  and  so  he  felt 
to  her  as  a  son  ;  but  when  or  where  we  know  not. 

14.  Asyncritns :  a  freedman  of  Augustus  was  so  called. 
Phlegmon :  a  name  borne  by  an  historian  of  the  second  century 

who  knew  something  about  the  Christians. 

Hermes :  a  common  name  among  the  emperor's  slaves. 

Patrobas:  a  shortening  of  the  name  '  Patrobius,'  borne  by 
the  freedman  of  Nero,  who  was  killed  by  Galba. 

Hermas :  a  contraction  of  several  names  *  Hermagoras,' 
'  Hermerus,' '  Hermodorus,' '  Hermogenes,'  common  among  slaves. 
The  identification  with  the  author  of  The  Shepherd  is  certainly 
wrong. 

the  brethren.  This  indicates  a  separate  group  of  Christians, 
probably  meeting  in  one  house. 

15.  PhilologTis:  lit.  '  lover  of  wisdom,'  a  common  slave  name  ; 
probably  the  brother  or  the  husband  of  Julia,  the  commonest 
female  name,  especially  among  the  slaves  in  the  emperor's  house- 
hold. If  Philologus  and  Julia  were  husband  and  wife,  then 
Xrereus,  his  sister  (probably  called  *  Nerias '),  and  Olsrmpas  :  a 
contraction  of  *  Olympiodorus ')  were  probably  their  children. 
The  saints  with  them  would  be  either  other  members  of  the  house- 
hold, or  the  Christian  believers  who  gathered  for  worship  in  their 
house.  The  name  'Nereus'  appears  in  a  later  legend  of  the  Roman 
Church.but  theuseofthe  name  in  this  probably  rests  on  some  monu- 
mental evidence  of  the  connexion  of  a  Nereus  with  the  church. 

16.  a  holy  kiss.  Cf.  i  Cor.  xvi,  ao  ;  2  Cor.  xiii,  12  ;  i  Thess.  v. 
26.  It  is  called  also  'a  kiss  of  love'  (i  Pet.  v.  14).  J ustirf  Martyr, 
about  the  middle  of  the  second  century,  refers  to  it  as  a  regular 
part  of  the  service. 

All  the  churches  of  Christ :  this  phrase  is  not  found  elsewhere 
in  the  N.  T.  The  position  of  Rome  would  make  the  church  there 
an  object  of  interest  to  the  churches  in  the  provinces,  and  Paul 
could  feel  himself  warranted  in  expressing  so  universal  an  interest. 


TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  17,18  307 

Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  mark  them  which  are  17 
causing  the  divisions  and  occasions  of  stumbh'ng,  contrary 
to  the  doctrine  which  ye  learned :    and  turn  away  from 
them.     For  they  that  are  such  serve  not  our  Lord  Christ,  iS 
but  their  own  belly ;  and  by  their  smooth  and  fair  speech 


Elsewhere  he  claims  to  speak  for  all  the  churches  (xvi.  4 ;  i  Cor. 
vii.  17,  xiv.  33  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  18,  xi.  28). 

V.  xvi.  17-20.         Warning  agciiust  false  teachers. 

It  is  a  surprise  to  find  such  a  warning  thrust  in  so  suddenly  and 
abruptly  just  at  the  end  of  the  letter.  It  may  be  that  Paul  had  just 
heard  that  this  danger  threatened  Rome,  or  tidings  may  have 
reached  him  of  an  attack  on  another  church.  His  own  anxiety 
for  the  church,  repressed  throughout  the  letter,  may  have  burst 
bounds  and  sought  relief  in  expression  before  he  closed.  We 
have  a  similar  outburst  in  Phil.  iii.  i,  where  he  takes  up  his 
pen  again  to  write  a  solemn,  earnest  warning.  The  persons 
referred  to  here  are  not  Judaizers,  as  in  Phil.  iii.  18,  nor  'the 
strong '  dealt  with  in  xiv,  xv,  but  probably  Antinomians,  whose 
suggestion  is  refuted  in  vi.  (a)  The  Apostle  warns  the  believers  in 
Rome  to  take  heed  of  and  turn  from  false  teachers,  who  cause 
division  and  introduce  error  into  the  churches  (17).  {b)  Although 
they  are  not  seeking  Christ's  glory,  but  their  own  advantage,  yet, 
by  their  persuasion  and  flattery,  they  can  turn  aside  and  lead  astray 
the  unsuspecting  (18).  (c)  Those  who  have  approved  their  fidelity 
to  the  truth  of  Christ  should  grow  in  their  understandingof  it,  but 
should  know  nothing  about  this  false  teaching,  and  then  God,  who 
desires  concord  in  the  church,  will  give  them  victory  over  error 
(19,  20). 

1*7.  majrk:  'that  ye  may  avoid  '  (Phil.  iii.  17).  The  same  word 
is  used  in  the  sense  '  mark  that  ye  may  follow.' 

divisions :  placed  in  Gal.  v.  20  between  factions  and  heresies, 
or  parties,  in  the  list  of  the  works  of  the  flesh ;  they  are  the  results 
of  'jealousies  and  wraths.' 

occasions  of  sttimbling' :  lit.  'scandals,'  'snares  or  traps.' 
doctrine:  or, '  teaching.'    Not  Paul's  distinctive  gospel,  but  the 
truth  commonly  taught  in  the  Christian  churches,  with  which  Paul 
knew  himself  to  be  in  fundamental  agreement. 

18.  their  own  belly.  Paul  does  not  charge  these  teachers 
with  being  sensual  and  licentious,  but  with  base  motives  and 
low  aims  (Phil.  iii.  17-21  ;  Col.  ii.  20— iii.  4). 

smooth  and  fair  speech :  lit. '  sweet  and  smooth,'  persuasive 
and  flattering. 

X    2 


3o8  TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  19-21 

T9  they  beguile  the  hearts  of  the  innocent.  For  your 
obedience  is  come  abroad  unto  all  men.  I  rejoice 
therefore  over  you  :  but  I  would  have  you  wise  unto  that 

20  which  is  good,  and  simple  unto  that  which  is  evil.  And 
the  God  of  peace  shall  bruise  Satan  under  your  feet 
shortly. 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you. 

21  Timothy  my  fellow-worker  saluteth  you;  and  Lucius 

19.  your  obedience.  The  church  must,  in  Paul's  view,  have 
had  an  adequate  conception  of  Christianity,  and  at  the  same  time 
have  been  free  of  erroneous  tendencies,  else  he  could  not  have 
used  these  words. 

I  would  have  you.  The  anxiety  for  them,  rather  than  their 
danger,  prompts  the  warning.  Cf.  Matt.  x.  16,  *  Be  ye  therefore 
wise  as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves.* 

simple :  unmixed,  uncontaminated  by  evil ;  not  the  simplicity 
of  innocence,  but  of  resistant  and  triumphant  goodness. 

20.  God  of  peace.    See  note  on  xv.  13. 

bruise  . .  .  under  your  feet :  '  throw  him  under  your  feet  that 
j'ou  may  trample  upon  him '  (cf  Gen.  iii.  15). 

Satan.  Cf.  2  Cor.  xi.  14,  15.  If  the  church  by  God's 
grace  remain  united,  and  allow  these  disturbers  of  the  peace 
no  entrance,  in  defeating  his  representatives  and  agents  they 
will  overthow  '  Satan '  at  the  present  time.  Paul's  views  on 
demonology  were  those  of  his  age,  but  are  not  an  essential 
part  of  his  gospel. 

The  grace.  A  salutation  ends  the  warning,  such  as  is  found 
at  the  end  of  some  of  the  Epistles. 

VI.  xvi.  21-23.     Greetings  from  Paul's  companions. 
Paul  sends  greetings  from  companions  and  other  believers,  and 
his  scribe  oifers  greeting  in  his  own  name. 

21.  Timothy  was  the  son  of  a  Greek  father  and  Jewish  mother, 
belonged  to  Lystra,  was  probably  converted  at  Paul's  first  visit, 
and  circumcised  at  Paul's  second.  Chosen  as  his  travelling  com- 
panion (Acts  xvi.  i),  he  was  left  behind  at  Bercea  (xvii.  14), 
rejoined  Paul  at  Athens,  was  sent  back  to  Thessalonica  (i  Thess. 
iii.  2),  was  with  Paul  again  in  Corinth  (xviii.  5)  when  2  Thessa- 
lonians  was  written  (2  Thess.  i.  i).  On  Paul's  third  journey  he 
was  sent  from  Ephesus  to  Macedonia  (xix.  22),  and  as  far  as 
Corinth  (i  Cor.  iv.  17,  xvi.  io\  met  Paul  again  in  Macedonia 
(2  Cor.  i.  1),  left  Corinth  with  Paul  and  travelled  with  him  as  far 
as  Asia  on  his  last  journey  to  Jerusalem  (xx.  4).     Paul  addressed 


TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  22, 23  309 

and  Jason  and  Sosipater,  my  kinsmen.     I  Tertius,  who  22 
write  the  epistle,  salute  you  in  the  Lord.     Gaius  my  host,  23 

a  letter  to  him  at  Ephesus  (i  Tim.  i.  i),  and  another  some  time 
later  (2  Tim.  i.  r)  ;  but  we  find  him  with  Paul  in  Rome,  when 
Colossians,  Philemon,  and  Philippians  were  written,  as  Paul 
associates  his  name  with  his  own  in  the  salutation.  Owing  to 
the  uncertainty  about  the  Pastorals,  we  cannot  assert  anything 
definitely  about  his  later  travels  and  labours.  He  was  much 
loved,  highly  trusted,  and  often  used  by  Paul  in  his  communica- 
tions with  the  churches.  From  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
(xiii.  23)  we  learn  that  he  had  been  set  at  liberty  after  an 
imprisonment.  Neither  he  nor  Titus  was  appointed  a  bishop 
by  Paul,  as  is  sometimes  alleged.  His  functions  in  the  churches 
he  visited  were  special  and  temporary. 

laucius  may  be  the  Lucius  of  Cyrene  connected  with 
Antioch  (Acts  xiii.  i\ 

Jason :  possibly  Paul's  host  at  Thessalonica  (Acts  xvii.  5). 

Sosipater  may  be  the  'Sopater'  of  Bercea,  who  accom- 
panied Paul  from  Corinth  to  Asia  (Acts  xx.  4).  These  were  all 
Jews,  as  Paul  calls  them  'kinsmen.'  Probably  he  lodged  with 
them.  Either  they  were  his  regular  companions,  or  were  on  a 
visit  to  him. 

22.  Tertius.  Paul  did  not  write  his  letters  in  his  own  hand, 
except  a  closing  salutation  (2  Thess.  iii.  17,  'The  salutation  of 
me  Paul  with  mine  own  hand,  which  is  the  token  in  every  epistle  : 
so  I  write ')  as  a  protection  against  forgery,  either  because  of 
his  weak  sight  (Gal.  vi.  1 1,  '  See  with  how  large  letters  I  have 
written  unto  3'ou  with  mine  own  hand'),  or  because  he  was  not 
so  thoroughly  familiar  with  Greek  as  to  write  rapidly  and  easily 
(cf.  I  Cor.  xvi.  21 ;  Col.  iv.  i8\  It  is  an  interesting  question  which 
has  not  been  yet  thoroughly  investigated,  how  far  the  vocabu- 
lary and  style  of  the  letters  have  been  determined  by  the  greater 
or  less  freedom  Paul  may  have  allowed  his  scribe  in  writing. 
Sometimes  there  may  have  been  dictation  of  every  word,  but 
possibly  too  the  scribe  may  have  expanded  brief  pregnant  notes. 

who  write  the  epistle,  salute  you  in  the  Iiord :  or,  '  who 
write  the  epistle  in  the  Lord,  salute  you.'  In  the  former  case 
it  is  a  Christian  greeting  he  offers,  and  his  being  a  Christian 
warrants  his  ofiering  it  to  strangers.  In  the  latter  case,  the 
humble  task  of  writing  to  dictation  is  nevertheless  prized  as  a 
service  of  Christ. 

23.  Gaius.  The  name  occurs  in  four  other  places  in  the  N.  T. 
Gaius  and  Aristarchus,  men  of  Macedonia,  are  seized  by  the 
mob  in  Ephesus  (Acts  xix.  29).  Among  Paul's  companions  from 
Corinth  to  Asia  is  a  Gaius  of  Derbe  (xx.  4).     Crispus  and  Gaius 


3IO  TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  25 

and  of  the  whole  church,  saluteth  you.  Erastus  the 
treasurer  of  the  city  saluteth  you,  and  Quartus  the  brother. 
25  Now  to  him  that  is  able  to  stablish  you  according  to 
my  gospel  and  the  preaching  of  Jesus  Christ,  according 
to  the  revelation  of  the  mystery  which  hath  been  kept  in 

were  the  only  believers  baptized  by  Paul  in  Corinth  (i  Cor.  i.  14^ 
The  Third  Epistle  of  John  is  addressed  to  *  the  well-beloved 
Gains'  (verse  i).  The  person  here  mentioned  is  probably  the 
same  as  is  refered  to  in  i  Corinthians.  Possibly  he  is  called 
•  host  of  the  whole  church '  because  the  meetings  of  the  church 
were  held  at  his  house. 

Erastus.  The  same  name  is  mentioned  in  Acts  xix.  22  and 
2  Tim.  iv.  20 ;  but  a  person  holding  so  influential  a  position  (the 
treasurer  of  the  city)  was  not  likely  to  become  a  travelling 
companion  or  messenger  of  Paul's. 

VII.  xvi.  25-27.      The  concluding  doxology. 

Paul  does  not  usually  end  his  Epistles  with  a  doxology,  although 
doxologies  do  occur  in  them  (Gal.  i.  5 ;  Rom.  xi.  36).  This 
doxology  is,  however,  longer  than  is  at  all  usual ;  but  still  in 
Eph.  iii.  20;  Phil.  iv.  20;  i  Tim.  i.  17,  there  are  doxologies 
approaching  this  in  complexity.  The  genuineness  of  this  doxology 
is  discussed  in  the  special  note  at  the  end  of  the  chapter.  Paul 
offers  his  praise  through  Jesus  Christ  to  the  only  wise  God,  who 
is  able  to  make  the  Roman  believers  stand  firm  and  strong  in  the 
truth  about  Jesus,  as  preached  by  Paul — a  truth  long  hidden,  but 
now.  after  having  been  foretold  by  the  prophets,  made  known  in 
obedience  to  God's  will  among  all  peoples,  that  they  may  be 
brought  to  believe. 

25.  able  to  stablisli  you.     Cf.  i.  11,  16,  xiv.  4;  Eph.  iii.  20. 
according^  to  my  g-ospel.     Cf.  ii.  16;  2  Tim.  ii.  8.    This  gospel 
Paul  had  sought  to    expound  in  the  Epistle,  as  the  best  means 
of  establishing   the    church   by  removing   misunderstanding  and 
estrangement,  and  so  making  it  strong  in  unity  and  peace. 

the  preachingf  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  proclamation  of  Jesus 
as  the  Messiah  (x.  8-12)  :  the  work  to  which  he  had  given  his 
life,  and  of  which  he  often  speaks. 

according-  to  the  revelation.  This  clause  is  not  co-ordinate 
with  the  preceding,  but  subordinate  to  it.  The  strengthening  of 
the  Roman  believers  was  to  take  place  in  accordance  with  Paul's 
gospel  and  the  preaching  of  Jesus  Christ;  not  two  distinct 
standards,  but  one.  This  standard  itself,  however,  conformed  to 
a  higher  rule,  the  revelation  lately  made. 

the  revelation  of  the  mystery.     Cf.  i  Cor.  ii.  6,  7.  Paul 


i 


TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  26,27  311 

silence  through  times  eternal,  but  now  is  manifested,  26 
and  by  the  scriptures  of  the  prophets,  according  to  the 
commandment  of  the  eternal  God,  is  made  known  unto 
all  the  nations  unto  obedience  of  faith ;  to  the  only  wise  27 


had  tried  to  'rede  the  riddle  of  this  painful  world.'  As  Greek 
philosophy  had  tried  to  find  mind  or  wisdom  in  the  Universe,  so 
Paul  had  meditated  on  the  problems  of  human  life,  sin  and  sorrow, 
death  and  doom ;  and  now  God's  plan  in  all  was  becoming  clear 
to  him.  He  has  sketched  it  in  outline  in  ix-xi,  and  sums  it  up  in 
the  pregnant  sentence,  *  God  hath  shut  up  all  unto  disobedience, 
that  he  might  have  mercy  upon  all.'  In  the  period  of  disobedience 
the  purpose  was  necessarily  hidden  ;  man  could  not  discern  nor 
discover  it;  but  now  in  the  period  of  mercy  the  mystery  of  salvation 
in  Christ  tlirough  faith  for  all  is  being  revealed.  Paul,  if  we  may 
so  express  the  contrast,  already  in  i  Coiinthians,  still  more  in 
Romans,  has  worked  his  way  in  thought  to  this  comprehensive 
survey  of  God's  ways.  In  the  later  Epistles,  especially  Ephesians, 
he  takes  it  for  granted  (Eph.  iii.  3,  5,  6,  9,  10  ;  Col.  i.  26  ;  Titus  i. 
a,  3 ;    2  Tim.  i.  9,  10). 

ke^it  in  silence.  God,  so  to  speak,  gave  no  sign  of  what  He 
was  doing  for  mankind. 

times  eternal :  lit.  '  periods  of  ages ';  the  ages  that,  reaching 
back  to  the  bounds  of  time,  had  preceded  the  coming  of  Christ  to 
the  world. 

26.  manifested.     The  coming  of  Christ  into,  and  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  in,  the  world  manifest  God's  mj^stery. 

by  (or  '  through ')  the  scriptures  of  the  prophets.  Paul's  use 
of  the  O.  T.  rests  on  the  assumption  that  it  witnesses  to  the 
gospel.  Christ's  coming  (i.  i,  2' ,  salvation  by  laith  apart  from 
works  (iii.  21),  the  rejection  of  the  Jews,  and  the  call  of  the 
Gentiles  (ix-xi),  all  are  shewn  to  be  in  accord  with  O.  T. 
prophecy. 

accordingf  to  the  commandment  of  the  eternal  God.  As 
the  prophets  were  called  of  God,  so  are  all  the  messengers  of  the 
gospel  (x.  15),  and  Paul  himself  was  conscious  of  a  special 
commission  to  preach  to  all  the  Gentiles  (i.  1,5,  14  :  cf.  i  Tim. 
i.  I ;   Titus  i.  3). 

eternal  God.  As  God  endures  through  all  ages,  so  He  has  all 
at  His  disposal  for  silence  or  speech,  for  mystery  or  manifestation, 
for  shutting  up  to  disobedience,  or  for  shewing  mercy  (cf.  i  Tim. 
i.  17). 

unto  obedience  of  faith:  preferable  to  the  rendering  in 
margin,  *  obedience  to  the  faith.'  Faith  is  obedience  (i.  5).  Tlie 
characteristic  Pauline  ideas  appear  in  this  yerse :  (i)  the  testimony 


312  TO  THE  ROMANS    16.  27 

God,  through  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  the  glory  for 
ever.     Amen. 

of  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  the  gospel,  (2)  the  Divine  commission 
of  its  messengers,  (3^  the  universality  of  its  appeal,  (4)  the 
condition  of  its  acceptance — faith. 

27.  the  only  wise  God.  (i  Tim.  i.  17  ;  although  '  wise '  is  there 
a  doubtful  reading,  and  may  have  been  inserted  to  assimilate  the 
original  phrase, '  the  only  God,'  to  the  phrase  here.)  God's  wisdom, 
as  transcending  all  human  thought,  and  so  solitary,  is  referred  to 
in  xi.  33,  34. 

to  whom,  (i)  *  Some  ancient  authorities  omit  "  to  whom  " ' 
(R.  V.  marg.).  This  would  greatly  simplify  the  construction  as 
'to  whom'  is  grammatically  redundant,  but  as  on  the  one  hand 
it  is  easy  to  understand  the  omission  of  the  relative,  when  it  is 
clearly  out  of  place,  and  on  the  other  difficult  to  explain  its 
insertion,  the  rule  of  preferring  the  more  difficult  to  the  more 
simple  reading  would  lead  us  to  retain  the  word.  In  the  complex 
structure  of  his  sentence  Paul  may  have  lost  hold  of  the  gram- 
matical connexions,  and  so  fallen  back  at  the  end  on  a  common 
formula  in  doxologies  (Gal.  i.  5  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  18 ;  Heb.  xiii.  21). 
(ii)  But  if  the  relative  be  retained,  what  is  its  antecedent?  'The 
only  wise  God'  is  suggested  by  the  whole  context,  but  the 
immediately  preceding  words  are  '  Jesus  Christ.'  (i)  It  has  been 
maintained  that  Paul  intended  to  end  the  passage  with  an  ascription 
of  praise  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  channel  of  the 
Christian's  communion  with  God  ;  but  that  the  mention  of  the 
name  reminds  him  that  Jesas  Christ  is  the  channel  of  all  Divine 
blessings  for  men.  and  so  he,  as  it  were,  diverted  his  praise  from 
the  ultimate  source  of  salvation,  God  the  Father,  to  the  proximate 
channel,  Jesus  Christ.  While  this  explanation  would  partly  save 
the  grammatical  construction  of  the  sentence,  and  while  there  is 
no  antecedent  improbability  in  Paul's  addressing  a  doxology  to 
Christ  (see  on  ix.  5),  yet  on  the  other  hand  the  phrase  *to  the 
only  wise  God '  would  be  left  without  any  point  of  attachment, 
unless  we  mentally  supplied  some  such  words  as  '  we  give 
thanks,*  a  somewhat  violent  device  to  get  rid  of  a  difficulty  :  and 
what  seems  the  fatal  objection  to  this  interpretation,  Paul  is 
represented  as  constructing  with  great  care  (one  pregnant  phrase 
having  been  added  to  another)  a  doxology  to  God  the  Father, 
and  he  is  turned  aside  at  a  word  from  :his  purpose,  and  leaves  it 
incomplete.  While  Paul's  style  is  sometimes  very  abrupt,  and  he 
does  allow  himself  to  be  turned  aside  from  his  straight  course,  yet 
this  explanation  would  assume  an  instability  in  thinking  and 
writing  which  is  simply  incredible.  The  whole  contents  of  the 
passage  necessitate  the  ascription  of  the  praise  to  God,  whose 
exclusive    wisdom    is    revealed    in    the    mystery    now    at    last 


TO  THE  ROMANS   16.  27  313 

manifested.  (2)  But  if  the  relative  be  referred  to  *  the  only  wise 
God,'  what  can  be  made  of  the  phrase  'through  Jesus  Christ'? 
(a)  We  can  get  no  clear  meaning  by  attaching  it  to  the  epithet 
*  wise.'  God,  it  is  true,  reveals  His  wisdom  through  Christ,  but  it 
is  not  His  revelation,  but  possession  of  wisdom  that  the  epithet 
affirms  ;  and  Paul  never  did  or  could  say  that  the  Father  is  wise 
through  the  Son.  (6)  Again,  although  '  to  whom  through  Jesus 
Christ  be  the  glory'  would  make  good  sense,  yet  we  cannot  thus 
thrust  into  the  relative  clause  words  that  stand  outside,  (iii)  We 
are  then  forced  to  the  conclusion,  that  had  the  phrase  '  through 
Jesus  Christ'  been  absent,  we  might  have  retained  the  relative 
'to  whom'  (one  single  letter  in  Greek),  and  explained  it  as  an 
irregularity,  such  as  is  not  uncommon  in  Paul's  letters  ;  yet,  as 
with  the  relative  and  the  phrase  '  through  Jesus  Christ,'  we  can 
get  no  tolerable  sense,  and  as  there  is  some  evidence  for  the 
omission  of  the  relative,  we  must  reject  it.  Possibly  the  relative 
was  not  intruded  at  a  later  date,  but  was  a  mistake  made  by  Paul's 
scribe  Tertius. 

the  g-lory :  honour,  praise,  adoration,  thanksgiving. 

for  ever :  or,  '  unto  the  ages,'  an  interminable  succession  of 
periods  of  time  used  to  conceive  and  express  the  negation  of  all 
time  limitations.  In  this  doxology  Paul  brings  together  many  of 
the  thoughts  of  his  Epistle.  God  is  represented  as  the  author  of 
salvation.  His  eternal  purpose  is  gradually  fulfilled,  first  in  the 
Hebrew,  then  in  the  Christian  religion.  In  Christ  is  the  fulfilment 
of  prophecy.  The  gospel  is  to  be  preached  to  all  nations.  The 
condition  of  salvation  is  the  obedience  of  faith.  The  continuance 
as  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  life  is  of  God.  The  Apostle 
is  conscious  of  a  Divine  commission  in  his  ministry.  The  issue  of 
the  whole  process  is  to  manifest  and  magnify  the  power  and  the 
wisdom  of  God. 


THE  INTEGRITY  OF  THE  EPISTLE ;  THE 
AUTHENTICITY  OF  CHAPTERS  XV  AND  XVI. 

The  commentary  on  the  two  last  chapters  having  been  com- 
pleted, the  question  of  the  authenticity  of  these,  or  the  integrity 
of  the  whole  Epistle,  can  be  considered  with  greater  knowledge 
and  clearer  understanding. 

(i)  The  textual  phenomena  of  these  two  chapters  first  of  all 
need  to  be  stated,  and  with  these  we  must  associate  a  variation 
of  reading  in  chap.  i.  (i)  A  MS.  written  both  in  Greek  and 
Latin  omits  in  both  texts  the  words  'in  Rome'  in  verses  i  and 
15  of  the  first  chapter.  Standing  alone,  this  variation  would  be 
unimportant,  but  it  gains  some  significance  from  textual  variations 
in  the  two  last  chapters.  (2)  The  final  doxology  (xvi.  25-27)  is 
found  in  different  places  in  the  MSS.  In  the  most  trustworthy 
it  is  found  at  the  end  of  the  Epistle.  In  a  few  it  is  found  at  the 
end  of  chap,  xiv,  and  there  alone  ;  and  this  variation  may  possibly 
be  earlier  than  the  time  of  Origen  at  the  end  of  the  second 
century.  Some  MSS.  give  the  doxology  at  both  places,  and  others 
omit  it  altogether,  but  the  omission  can  probably  be  traced  to 
Marcion.  (3)  There  is  a  good  deal  of  evidence  that  Marcion, 
who  about  the  middle  of  the  second  century  made  the  first 
collection  (as  far  as  we  know)  of  Pauline  letters,  left  out  altogether 
chaps.  XV  and  xvi.  (4)  But  there  are  some  other  indications 
that  there  were  early  M.SS.  in  existence  that  omitted  these 
chapters,  (a)  Irenaeus,  TertuUian,  Cyprian  (second  and  third 
centuries),  never  quote  them,  but  that  may  be  because  they  found 
nothing  in  them  suitable  for  their  purposes  to  quote,  (b)  The 
chapter  headings  in  some  MSS.  of  the  Latin  version  appear  to 
shew  that  the  doxology  followed  chap,  xiv,  as  there  is  nothing 
found  among  them  that  could  describe  the  contents  of  chaps,  xv 
and  xvi ;  but  that  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  these 
chapters,  as  mainly  personal,  ma}'  have  been  passed  over  in  the 
public  reading  of  the  Epistle.  (5)  At  the  end  of  chap,  xv  there 
is  a  prayer  which  might  represent  the  conclusion  of  the  Epistle, 
but  on  the  other  hand  no  Epistle  of  Paul's  ends  in  this  way,  and 
a  prayer  of  the  same  kind  is  found  elsewhere  in  the  body  of  an 
Epistle.  (6)  In  the  Received  Text  there  are  two  apparent  conclu- 
sions to  the  Epistle,  at  verses  20  and  24 ;  but  the  explanation  of 
this  strange  fact  seems  to  be  this,  that  some  MSS.  which  had  no 


I 


TO  THE  ROMANS  315 

concluding  doxology  moved  the  benediction,  which  stood  originally 
at  verse  20,  to  the  end  of  the  Epistle  at  verse  24  ;  then  later  MSS., 
finding  the  benediction  sometimes  at  verse  20  and  sometimes 
at  verse  24,  inserted  it  at  both  places.  This  explanation,  while 
it  deprives  the  variation  in  the  Received  Text  of  any  significance, 
yet  affords  a  farther  proof  of  the  existence  at  an  early  date  of  MSS. 
omitting  the  doxology. 

(ii)  As  these  textual  phenomena  have  been  explained  by  denying 
the  authenticity  of  these  chapters  in  whole  or  part,  it  will  be 
necessary,  before  stating  any  of  the  other  explanations,  to  indicate 
briefly  the  arguments  in  favour  of  the  genuineness  of  the  several 
passages  composing  them,  (^i)  The  first  thirteen  verses  of  the 
fifteenth  chapter  continue  the  argument  of  the  fourteenth  chapter, 
and  contain  no  statement  that  can  be  justly  characterized  as  non- 
Pauline  in  style  or  content.  The  words  '  Christ  hath  been  made 
a  minister  of  the  circumcision'  have  been  suspected;  but  Paul 
expressly  says  in  Galatians  (iv.  4,  5)  that  *  God  sent  forth  his 
Son,  born  of  a  woman,  born  under  the  law,  that  he  might  redeem 
them  which  were  under  the  law,'  and  as  a  fact,  as  has  been 
shewn  in  the  notes,  Jesus  as  far  as  possible  did  conform  to  the 
law.  (2)  The  next  eight  verses  (14-21)  offer  Paul's  apology  for 
his  earnest  admonition  on  the  ground  of  his  apostleship  to  the 
Gentiles,  and  his  fidelity  in  preaching  the  gospel  as  a  pioneer ; 
and  all  we  know  of  his  character  and  ministry  confirms  the  trust- 
worthiness of  this  passage.  Verses  19-21  have  specially  been 
objected  to,  (a)  because  Paul  had  never  preached  in  Jerusalem — 
but  Acts  expressly  afiirms  that  he  did  (ix.  28,  zg),  and  Paul  here 
lays  no  stress  on  his  preaching  in  Jerusalem,  which  he  mentions 
only  as  the  Eastern  limit  of  the  region  in  which  he  laboured  ; 
{b)  because  he  never  preached  in  Illyricum — but  this  has  already 
been  explained  ;  (c)  because  he  had  not  actually  preached  the 
gospel  everywhere  in  the  region  described — but  the  note  on  *  fully 
preached  *  in  verse  19  explaijis  the  statement ;  {d)  because,  if  he 
was  not  building  on  another's  foundation,  how  could  he  wish  to 
go  to  Rome  ? — but  no  apostle  had  been  in  Rome,  and  he  expressly 
distinguishes  his  visit  to  Rome  as  a  brief  sojourn  by  the  way  not 
to  found  a  church,  but  confirm  faith.  (3)  In  the  remainder  of  this 
chapter  (22,  33)  he  unfolds  his  plans  ;  and  the  coincidences  with 
Acts,  and  the  allusions  to  the  collections  in  i  and  2  Corinthians, 
prove  the  correctness  of  this  statement ;  while  the  absence  of 
direct  evidence  for  the  visit  to  Spain,  and  the  difference  in  the 
mode  of  the  visit  to  Rome  as  it  actually  took  place,  and  as  it  was 
intended,  forbid  the  assumption  that  a  later  writer  inserted  this 
passage,  thus  ascribing  to  the  Apostle  unfulfilled  intentions. 
(4)  The  commendation  of  Phoebe  in  the  first  two  verses  of  the 
sixteenth  chapter  presents  no  difficulty.  There  is  no  inherent 
improbability  in  the  intention  of  an  evidently  wealthy  member  of 


3i6  TO  THE  ROMANS 

the  church  in  Cenchrese  to  visit  Rome  on  business,  in  which  the 
members  of  the  church  there  might  be  useful  to  her.  That 
Cenchreae  was  the  seaport  of  Corinth  for  travellers  to  Ephesus 
rather  than  Rome  does  not  prove  that  Phoebe  must  have  been 
going  to  Ephesus,  and  could  not  have  been  going  to  Rome.  The 
passage  does  not  state  that  she  was  sailing  for  Rome  from  her 
native  town.  (5)  To  the  personal  greetings  in  verses  3-16 
no  suspicion  necessarily  attaches.  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  as  has 
already  been  shewn,  may  have  moved  about  freely  not  only  in  the 
interests  of  their  business,  but  even  in  the  service  of  the  gospel. 
Another  greeting  is  addressed  to  Epaenetus,  the  first  convert  from 
Asia  ;  but  whether  he  belonged  to  Ephesus  or  not  we  cannot  tell. 
Intercourse  with  Rome  from  all  parts  of  the  empire  was  so 
common  that  the  presence  of  an  Asian  convert  in  Rome  at  this 
time  need  not  cause  any  surprise  nor  raise  any  question.  These 
are  the  only  persons  mentioned  whose  residence  in  Ephesus  is  at 
all  certain  ;  and  so  small  a  number  does  not  justify  the  assumption 
that  this  part  of  the  letter  must  have  been  addressed  to  Ephesus 
rather  than  Rome.  As  regards  the  other  persons  named,  some 
bear  Latin,  some  Greek,  and  a  few  Jewish  names.  Most  of  the 
names,  however,  have  been  found  in  inscriptions  in  Rome,  as 
having  been  borne  by  members  of  the  imperial  household  (see  the 
notes  for  particulars).  It  would  be  rash  to  identify  any  of  the 
persons  named  with  those  mentioned  in  the  inscriptions,  but  this 
monumental  evidence  proves  the  presence  in  Rome  of  numbers  of 
Greeks  and  Jews.  It  is  very  much  more  likely  then,  that  in  Rome 
a  greater  number  of  Paul's  friends,  converts,  or  fellow  workers 
would  be  found  at  any  one  time  than  in  any  other  city.  It  may 
be  added  that,  if  Paul  had  been  writing  a  letter  to  a  church  he 
himself  had  founded,  with  many  of  the  members  of  which  he  had 
had  close  personal  relations,  it  would  have  been  unwise  for  him 
to  select  such  a  list  for  special  mention,  whereas  in  writing  to 
a  church,  most  of  the  members  of  which  were  quite  unknown  to 
him,  it  was  only  right  and  fit  that  he  should  mention  those  whom 
he  knew.  (6)  The  warning  against  false  teachers  in  verses  17-20 
comes  in  as  an  afterthought,  but  we  have  the  very  same  feature 
in  the  letter  to  the  Philippians  (iii.  i).  There  is  nothing  at  all  in 
the  letter  to  the  Romans  to  forbid  the  assumption  that  either 
Paul  had  just  heard,  when  he  was  closing  his  letter,  of  the  arrival 
in  Rome  of  such  false  teachers,  or  some  tidings  from  elsewhere 
had  suggested  to  his  mind  the  possibility  of  such  a  danger  in 
Rome.  (7)  No  reasonable  exception  can  be  taken  to  the  greetings 
from  Paul's  companions  in  verses  21-23.  (8)  The  final  doxology 
in  verses  25-27  reads,  it  must  be  ac!:nowledged,  as  if  it  were  an 
elaborate  composition,  into  which  a  number  of  Pauline  phrases, 
found  elsewhere,  had  been  laboriously  worked  by  a  later  writer. 
The  style  at  least  is  unlike  that  of  the  rest  of  Romans,  and 


TO  THE  ROMANS  317 

presents  greater  likeness  to  the  language  in  Ephesians.  While  it 
is  true  there  is  not  only  no  idea  in  the  doxology  inconsistent  with 
the  mental  standpoint  of  the  whole  Epistle,  but  even  its  character- 
istic ideas  are  reproduced,  yet  the  impression  left  on  the  mind  is, 
that  if  Paul  himself  wrote  the  doxology,  it  was  not  at  the  same 
time  as  the  rest  of  the  Epistle.  We  may  conclude  then  from  the 
survey  of  the  contents  of  these  two  chapters  that  there  is  no 
sufficient  reason  to  doubt  or  deny  their  genuineness  in  whole 
or  part.  But  the  varying  position  of  the  doxology,  its  peculiarities, 
as  well  as  the  absence  of  these  two  chapters  from  some  MSS., 
while  not  justifying  a  solution  of  the  problem  of  so  extreme 
a  character,  yet  calls  for  explanation. 

(iii)  Such  an  explanation  is  attempted  in  the  theory  that  Romans 
was  a  circular  letter  which  was  sent  in  different  forms  to  at  least 
four  churches  :  to  Rome,  i-xi,  xv  ;  to  Ephesus,  i-xiv,  xvi.  1-20  ; 
to  Thessalonica,  i-xiv,  xvi.  21-24  ;  to  an  unknown  church,  i-xiv, 
xvi.  25-27.  It  is  alleged  that  this  theory  accounts  for  (i)  the 
variations  in   regard   to  the  words  *  in   Rome  *  in  i.   1  and    15 ; 

(2)  the  four  endings  of  the  Epistle  at  xv.  33,  xvi.  20,  24,  25-27 ; 

(3)  the  Ephesian  names  in  xvi.  1-20;  (4)  the  Macedonian  names 
in  xvi.  21-24.  I'  has  already  been  shewn  that  the  prayer  at  the  end 
of  chap.  XV  does  not  necessarily  mark  the  close  of  an  epistle, 
that  the  benedictions  at  verses  ao  and  24  in  chap,  xvi  are 
explicable  by  the  history  of  the  text,  that  the  Ephesian  and 
Macedonian  names  can  be  explained  without  any  such  assumption, 
that  chap,  xv  continues  the  argument  of  xiv.  While  this  theory 
as  a  whole  has  received  little  support,  one  part  of  it  has  found 
more  general  acceptance,  namely,  that  in  xvi.  1-20  we  have  part 
of  a  letter  addressed  to  Ephesus ;  but  it  has  already  been  shewn 
that  it  is  quite  probable  that  three  persons  from  Ephesus  had  found 
their  way  to  Rome,  and  that  Paul  knew  in  Rome  about  a  score  of 
persons.  The  inscriptions  justify  our  connecting  most  of  the  names 
with  Rome, 

(iv)  English  scholars  have  offered  several  solutions,  (i)  Bishop 
Lightfoot  sought  to  explain  the  problem  presented  by  the  text  by 
assuming  that  Paul  at  first  wrote  the  letter  as  we  have  it,  all 
except  the  final  doxology  ;  that,  after  a  time,  recognizing  its  fitness 
to  be  read  among  other  churches,  he  cut  off  xv  and  xvi  as  more 
directly  local  in  interest,  and  so  changed  the  letter  into  a  circular 
epistle;  that  he  omitted  the  words  'in  Rome'  from  the  first 
chapter,  and  added  the  doxology.  One  difficulty,  however,  this 
view  presents,  and  it  is  this,  that  the  argument  of  chap,  xiv  is 
carried  on  to  verse  13  of  chap,  xv  without  any  distinct  break  : 
and  it  is  therefore  improbable  that  Paul  himself  would  have  closed 
the  argument  in  the  circular  letter  at  end  of  chap,  xiv,  as  the 
personal  matter  begins  only  at  verse  14  in  chap.  xv.  (2)  Dr. 
Hort    suggested    that   the   last   two   chapters   were   omitted   as 


3i8  TO  THE  ROMANS 

less  suitable  for  public  reading,  that  the  doxology  was  read  at  the 
end  of  chap,  xiv,  that  its  omission  in  some  MSS.  was  due  to 
Marcion,  who,  however,  may  not  have  removed  it  wilfully,  but 
may  have  found  a  copy  in  which  the  last  part  had  been  lost  by 
some  accident.  This  view  still  leaves  the  difficulty  of  the  separation 
of  XV.  1-13  from  xiv.  (3)  The  latest  critical  commentary  (Sanday 
and  Headlam)  explains  this  difficulty  as  follows.  Marcion  rejected 
the  authority  of  the  O.  T.  for  the  Christian  Church,  These  thirteen 
verses  of  chap,  xv  contain  a  number  of  quotations  from  the  O.  T., 
and  in  verse  8  Christ  is  described  as  a  'minister  of  the  circumcision 
for  the  truth  of  God.'  Accordingly  it  was  natural  for  Marcion  to 
omit  these  verses,  although  concluding  the  previous  argument,  as 
well  as  the  remainder  of  chap,  xv  and  the  whole  of  xvi;  for 
the  personal  matter  had  no  special  interest  for  him,  as  he  had 
a  distinctly  dogmatic  purpose  in  his  collection  of  Pauline  letters. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  he  had  considerable  influence  in 
the  formation  of  the  N.  T.  text,  and  accordingly  the  variations 
needing  to  be  explained  are  probably  to  be  traced  ultimately  to 
the  text  to  which  he  gave  currency.  Whether  this  explanation 
removes  all  the  difficulties  or  not,  need  not  be  settled ;  but 
even  should  no  altogether  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  textual 
phenomena  be  discovered,  yet  the  contents  of  the  chapters  warrant 
the  conclusion,  that  we  have  the  Epistle  substantially  as  it  left 
Paul's  hands.  That  he  seems  again  and  again  to  be  drawing  to 
a  close  in  the  last  chapters,  and  then  adds  something  more,  is  very 
easily  explained.  The  fertility  of  his  thought  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  intensity  of  his  feeling  on  the  other,  account  for  his 
reluctance  to  write  the  last  words  of  a  letter  to  which,  we  have 
cause  to  believe,  he  ascribed  so  great  importance,  although  as  he 
drew  to  a  close  he  cannot  have  realized  that  he  was  sending  forth 
into  the  world  a  writing  which  Christianity  may  reckon  as  one 
of  its  greatest  treasures  in  its  exposure  of  human  sin,  in  its 
exposition  of  Divine  grace,  in  its  justification  of  the  ways  of  God 
to  man,  in  its  application  of  the  holiest  truths  to  the  humblest 
duties. 


INDEX 


[7%*  Numerals  refer  to  the  Pages.'] 


Abba,  191. 

Abraham,  13,  22,   28,   31,   34, 

136,  211. 
Abyss,  232. 
Achaia,  17, 

Adam,  13,  22,  32,  153,  156. 
Adoption,  191,  196,  207. 
Alexander,  38. 
Ampliatus,  304. 
Anathema,  207. 
Andronicus,  304. 
Angels,  204. 
Antioch,  18. 
Apelles,  305. 
Apostle,  82,  304. 
Aquila,  11,  20,  301,  316. 
Aquinas,  284. 
Aristides,  24. 
Aristobulus,  305. 
Asyncritus,  306. 
Augustine,  274. 
Augustus,  10. 

Baal,  240. 
Baptism,  161,  163. 
Barbarians,  89. 
Benjamin,  239. 
Blood,  132. 

Caesar,  10. 
Caligula,  11. 
Canon  (Jewish),  122. 
Carnal,  177,  297. 


Cenchreae,  300,  316. 

Christ's  appearance  to  Paul,  5. 

life,  8,  151,  165. 

Messiahship,  5. 

person,  35,  83,  185,  209. 

relation  to  Adam,  151. 

law,  5,  229. 

resurrection,   5,   145,    164, 
189. 

sacrifice,  5,  8,  22,  127-132, 
149,  162,  203. 

second  coming,  273. 

spirit,  22,  188. 

union    with    believers,    5, 
161. 
Church,  300,  303,  306. 
Circumcision,  32,  113,  139,  287. 
Claudius,  11. 
Clement,  24. 
Collections,  18,  297. 
Colossians,  35, 
Commentaries,  40. 
Conscience,  109. 
Corinth,  17,  18. 
Corinthians  II,  19. 
Covenants,  208. 
Cyprian,  314. 

Damascus,  5. 
David,  26,  83,  138. 
Day  of  wrath,  103. 
Death  from  Adam,  158. 
Deuteronomy,  28. 
Doxology  to  Christ,  209. 


320 


ROMANS 


Elect,  203,  241,  250. 

Election,  8,  23,   32,   205,   213, 

221. 
Elijah,  29,  239. 
Enemies,  150,  250. 
Epaenetus,  303. 
Ephesus,  17,  316,  317. 
Ephesians,  35. 
Erastus,  17,  310. 
Esau,  28,  29,  213. 
Eternal  life,  105. 
Eucharist,  278. 
Exodus,  28. 

Faith,    86,   94,    ir6,    125,    159, 

284. 
Fathers,  33,  208,  251. 
Firstfruit,  245. 
Flesh,   83,   123,   169,  178,    185, 

187. 
Foreknowledge,  200. 
Fullness  {Pleroma),  243,  249. 

Gaius,  17,  309. 

Galatia,  18. 

Galatians,  7,  26,  34. 

Gamaliel,  3. 

Genesis,  28. 

Gentiles,  86,  loi,  108,  243. 

Glory,  126,  194,  208. 

God's  freedom,  210. 

judgement,  102,  118,  279. 

kingdom,  282. 

love,  148,  205. 

righteousness,      91,      117, 
125. 

wrath,  96. 
Gospel,  82. 
Grace,  85,  142,  147. 
Greek,  89,  91. 
Greek  wisdom,  4. 

Habakkuk,  28,  29,  31,  95. 
Headlam,  318. 
Hebrews,  3,  no. 
Hebrews,  Epistle  to,  24. 
Heirs,  192. 


Hermas,  306. 
Hermes,  306. 
Herodion,  305. 
Hippolytus,  24. 
Holy  Ghost,  149,  207. 
Holy  Scriptures,  83. 
Hort,  317. 
Hosea,  29. 

Idolatry,  30,  98,  112. 
Ignatius,  24. 
lUyricum,  i8,  293,  315. 
Intercession,  199. 
Irenseus,  314. 
Isaac,  13,  28,  211. 
Isaiah,  26,  29. 
Israel,  210,  237,  250. 
Israelite,  in,  207. 

Jacob,  28,  29,  213. 

James,  Epistle  of,  24. 

Jason,  309. 

Jerusalem,  3,  12,  17,  18,  299. 

'Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,'  85. 

Jew,  91,  103,  no,  114. 

Jewish  literature,  30. 

Jews*  failure,  no,  225. 

Job,  29, 

Joel,  29. 

Judah,  115. 

Judaism  in  Rome,  10. 

Judaistic  controversy,  34. 

Judaizers  in  Rome,  16,  289,  307. 

Judgement,  102,  118,  279. 

Junias,  304. 

Justification,  8,  22,  34,  95,  108, 

126,  145,  150,  155,  165. 
Justin  Martyr,  24. 

Kingdom  of  God,  282. 
Kings,  29. 

Law,   106,  in,    122,   141,   170, 

181,  208,  226. 
Letter,  114,  115,  173. 
Leviticus,  28,  29. 
Libertines,  10. 


INDEX 


321 


Life,  105,  188. 
Lightfoot,  317. 
Love  of  God,  148,  205. 
—  to  God,  199. 

man,  263,  273. 

Lucius,  309. 

Maccabees  I,  31. 

Macedonia,  17. 

Malachi,  29. 

Marcion,  24,  314,  318. 

Mar3%  303. 

McGiffert,  17. 

Messianic   hope,    28,    32,    141, 

192,  208. 
Moses,  26,  28,   106,    154,   215, 

237. 
Mystery,  249,  310. 

Narcissus,  305. 
Nature,  193,  194. 
Nero,  9. 

Old  Testament,  26,  286. 
Olive,  246. 
Oracles,  116. 
Origen,  314. 

Patrobas,  306. 
Paul's  conflict,  173. 

controversy,  7,  8,  34. 

conversion,  4,  5. 

convictions,  5,  6. 

Gentile    ministry,  6,    244, 
292. 

Greek  environment,  4. 

Jewish  nationality,  3. 

—  patriotism,  13,  206,  252. 
literary  style,  38. 

logical  method,  35. 
name,  82. 

personal  experience,  25. 
plans,  18,  295. 
Rabbinic  training,  3, 26-34. 
religious  genius,  34. 
Roman  citizenship,  3,  270. 
use  of  Old  Testament,  26. 

—  Jewish  literature,  30. 


Peace,  87,  147,  188. 

Pentateuch,  122. 

Pentecost,  12. 

Persis,  305. 

Peter,  12. 

Peter,  First  Epistle  of,  23. 

Pharaoh,  28,  215. 

Pharisee,  3,  4,  174,  181. 

Philippi,  17. 

Philippians,  12,  35. 

Philo,  31. 

Philologus,  306. 

Phlegon,  306. 

Phoebe,  300,  315. 

Polycarp,  24. 

Pompey,  10. 

Poor,  297. 

Poppsea  Sabina,  10. 

Potter  (and  clay\  217. 

Prisca  or  Priscilla  11,  20,  301, 

316. 
Promises,  116,  141,  208. 
Prophets,  83, 
Propitiation,  131. 
Proverbs,  29. 
Psalms,  29. 

Quartus,  310. 

Rabbinic  method,  26. 
Reckoned,  137. 
Reconciliation,  151. 
Redemption,  129,  196. 
Resurrection,  85,  145. 
Righteousness,  168. 

—  of  faith,  141,  226,  230. 

—  of  God,  91,  117,  125. 
Roman       Christianit}',       com- 
position, 16. 

origin,  12. 

tendency,  13. 

—  Empire,  9,  10. 

—  Judaism,  lo,  ii. 
Romans,  argument,  22. 

—  authenticity,  23. 

—  character,  19. 

—  constituents,  24. 


322 


ROMANS 


Romans,  integrity,  25,  314-318. 

—  occasion,  17. 

—  purpose,  18. 
Rufus,  305 

Sabaoth,  aai. 

Sabbatarianism,  278. 
Sacrifice,  127-132,  256. 
Saints,  86,  299. 
Salvation,  91,  273. 
Sanctification,  8,  22,  159,   169, 

256. 
Sanday,  318, 
Satan,  308. 
Saul,  81. 
Septuagint,  26. 
Sergius  Paulus,  82. 
Servant,  82,  168,  300. 
Sin,  96,  120,  153. 
Son  of  God,  84,  151,  185. 
Sons  of  God,  191. 
Sosipater,  309. 
Spain,  18,  296. 
Spirit,  115,  173,  184,  187,  188. 

—  of  holiness,  84, 
Spiritual,  177,  297. 

—  gifts,  88,  259,  262. 
Stachys,  305. 
State,  the,  268. 
Stoic  philosophy,  10. 
'  Stone,'  227. 


'  Strong,*  276,  289. 
Succourer,  301. 
Suetonius,  11. 

Tarsus,  4. 
Tertius,  309. 
Tertullian,  314, 

Testament   of  the    Twelve   Pa- 
triarchs, the,  24. 
Thessalonians,  35. 
Timothy,  17,  308. 
Transgression,  142. 
Trespass,  154. 
Trinity,  87. 
Tryphaena,  305. 
Tryphosa,  305. 
Turner,  17. 


Union  v(7ith  Christ,  159,  184. 
Urbanus,  305. 

'  Weak,'  276,  289. 
*  Whole  world,'  88. 
Wisdom  of  Solomon,  30. 
Wisdom,  God's,  254. 
Worship,  257. 
Wrath  of  God,  96. 

Zeal  of  Jews,  228. 


oxford:    HORACE   HART 
PRINTER  TO  THE   UNIVERSITY 


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